Concord’s city councilors endorsed the YMCA’s application for a $500,000 federal grant Monday.
The nonprofit – which seeks to spruce up the historic firehouse that hosts its child care facility – will now go on to compete against other applicants for a Community Development Block Grant.
Because the YMCA’s child care center meets certain criteria, it hopes to be awarded the maximum grant. Namely, most of its clients come from low-income families, the building has historical value, and the organization will provide a significant match.
Before the council’s vote, the city’s Community Development Advisory Committee considered four applications from within Concord and unanimously agreed to back the YMCA.
The YMCA hopes to adapt its steam heating system ahead of Concord Steam’s planned closure, to repair a broken elevator and to install a new playground – along with a variety of other enhancements.
“The application before you is really needed to help make some renovations and repairs to the facility to allow the Y to keep doing what it’s doing and do it better,” said Matt Leahy, a member of the board of directors.
Grant awards are expected to be announced in April.
The city councilors commended fire Chief Dan Andrus after he presented his department’s plan to better serve residents suffering from mental health or drug crises.
Through a partnership with Riverbend Community Mental Health, the department will transport or connect certain emergency callers to Riverbend’s urgent care services, instead of the hospital’s emergency department, after on-scene evaluations.
The plan, which Andrus said has been years in the making, seeks to provide patients who don’t require intensive emergency care with a more appropriate pathway.
“It’s a priority for our community, and I think the solution that you have crafted is a uniquely Concord solution that fits into our geographic demographics,” Mayor Jim Bouley said. “It makes sense for us, and I think the model that you used of public-private partnerships is something we’ve excelled with in the past.”
The evolution of the fire department’s mission makes Concord the latest city in New Hampshire to adapt its services to the reality of the drug epidemic facing the state.
Manchester and Nashua, the two largest cities, began Safe Station programs last year, which invited addicted residents to seek help at designated fire stations. From there, the patients are patched through to services tailored to their needs.
The partnership with Riverbend will offer a similar result, beginning on-site at the patient’s home.
City Attorney Jim Kennedy provided an update to the city councilors about a petition to the state’s Public Utilities Commission seeking relief for Concord Steam customers attempting to transition to natural gas.
The petition seeks to establish a $1 million fund to benefit downtown customers that would be recovered generally by all Liberty Utilities ratepayers.
Kennedy said at a pre-hearing conference before Christmas, “It was made clear at that hearing that the staff of the PUC is opposed to the petition, and the officer of the consumer advocate is opposed to the petition.”
Kennedy, however, said the petition meets the outgoing utility’s duty to help its customers transition to another heat source.
Parties involved with the petition are attempting to develop a schedule for how hearings will proceed.
“We’re at somewhat of a standstill right now on moving forward, but I would expect this week for the PUC to make a decision on what the procedural schedule will be,” he said, emphasizing the looming May closure date Concord Steam has planned.
(Nick Reid can be reached at 369-3325, nreid@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at
@NickBReid.)