Hi all, this is your Town Manager Alex Torpey with your June update. I hope you're staying cool this week at least as I'm recording this, and everyone is enjoying the early summer.

We've got a lot to cover in this month, including:

• May and June Selectboard meetings, including updates on:
  • Several public hearings to accept unanticipated grant funds
  • Selectboard organizational meeting and planning
  • FY25 Rates and Fees
  • Allen Street Placemaking Pilot
  • Several ordinance updates related to traffic, parking, and more
  • Appointments
  • Donations
  • Various business including approving minutes, banner requests and such
• My June monthly report, which are now all easily available on the Town Manager page on our website, with updates on:
  • Upcoming events on Allen Street
  • Human Resources, current entering and exiting employees, vacancies, new Fire Chief appointment, trainings, and more
  • Budget and finance updates, including audit updates
  • Housing, redevelopment and planning updates, including updates on proposed RFEI's for housing and parking
  • Transportation and mobility, including on some summer construction projects,
  • Downtown Hanover, on formalizing group structure and more
  • College and Town, including on upcoming free public wifi downtown
  • And other updates from JAM/CATV, about trash and recycling, and the...

This is your Town Manager Alex Torpey here. Have you heard about the Allen Street Placemaking Pilot?

From June 26-August 26, 2024, the Hanover Selectboard has authorized a two-month pilot closure of Allen Street building off the success and positive feedback of the "Block Party" series. The purpose of the Allen Street Placemaking Pilot is to promote community engagement, enhance pedestrian safety, and support local businesses by temporarily closing Allen Street to vehicular traffic. This will allow for public use and activities, outdoor dining, and the creation of vendor spots to bring additional vibrancy to the area.

Throughout the pilot, we will measure various impact(s) such as traffic, parking, general activity, and more, and use that to inform any future decisions. This idea was generated through the inclusive collaboration of Town officials and local business owners through the Downtown Working Group and aligns with the goals in Chapters 6 and 7 of the new Master Plan and the Selectboard's FY25 Goals #3.

In this episode, I share a brief background, and then we hear from Hannah and Liz from Hanover Parks and Rec about all the great stuff happening this summer from concerns to events, to family/kid activities, outdoor dining, and much more.

After we hear from Hannah and Liz, we hear from six downtown business/property owners what they think.

We hear from:

• Jim Rubens, Hanover resident and owner of Hanover Park at 3 Lebanon Street
• Jay Campion, Hanover resident and downtown property owner
• Paula Fernandes, owner of My Brigadeiro
• David Barrette, Hanover resident and owner of Main Street Kitchens
• Kieran Campion, Hanover resident General Manager of Sawtooth Kitchen
• Jarett Berke, Hanover resident and owner of Lou's Restaurant (and Selectboard member)

Not all business/property owners we reached out provided comments, and of course, not everyone is entirely on board with the project, as there are some who have expressed concerned about impacts to parking and ability for vehicles and visitors to get to their spaces or tenants. The Town has been working diligently with all property and business owners to understand and make sure these concerns can be monitored, have provided survey forms for feedback, and are communicating with stakeholders every two weeks as well...

In what will surely be the shortest podcast episode I've ever or will ever record, please join me, your Town Manager Alex Torpey, as I briefly read out the letter to the editor submitted to the Valley News last week.

In the letter and recording, I wanted to take a moment to thank all of the people who participated passionately but civilly. In the true spirit of several centuries of Town Meetings in New Hampshire, we thank all voters who showed up, treated their fellow community members with empathy and respect, and made decisions on behalf of the future of our community.