Too many tables and chairs outside Brick Market
June 20 − To the Editor:
I love all that Mark McNabb has developed in the city. Big fan. I especially love the Brick Market. It’s a fun blend of art, community space, and updated architectural features with unique colors and materials. Last summer it was my favorite go-to place to have coffee, pastry and enjoy the well spaced, peaceful, outdoor tables and interesting sculptures.
This morning we walked through the Brick Market outside courtyard between Penhallow and Pleasant Streets. Holy smokes and YIKES! I was aghast at the HUGE amount of tables and chairs that are there now. Way too many, way too intense, way too close to each other, over-crowed and overwhelming. It doesn’t look welcoming at all anymore (to me). As soon as someone leaves a chair out of place or a dog and stroller in the way, the passage will be blocked. It totally takes away from the open and calming atmosphere that the space could be. I love you Mark, but do you really think all these seats are gonna be utilized? (Sorry, that sounds like what they used to say about the parking garage spaces). Just my opinion.
Cheri Bach
Portsmouth
Do historic district buildings really need to be ‘preserved and protected’ from solar panels?
June 18 − To the Editor:
The approval of 54 solar panels on the Chapel Street side of the Parish House of St. John’s Episcopal Church is to be applauded, even though approving the full 102 proposed panels would have been better. It is disconcerting that this compromise still has its critics. Do historic district buildings really need to be “preserved and protected” from solar panels? Black solar panels on black roofs are certainly not eyesores (personally, I find them aesthetically pleasing).
Buildings designated as part of a historic district continue to be functional in contrast to buildings that are part of a museum, such as Strawberry Banke. The architecture is preserved but such buildings also have observable electrical wires and asphalt roof tiles, neither of which were used in the nineteenth century or earlier, but both of which are now used out of necessity. Our true priority must be to preserve planetary life from the increasingly rapid onset of climate change effects, and that also includes preserving the historic district from being submerged.
St. John’s Portsmouth is joined by St. George’s Episcopal, Durham, the Community Church of Durham, and other area churches in installing solar panels out of a strong sense of being responsible stewards of our planet. The sooner we switch to renewable energy, the better chance we have at mitigating the inevitable catastrophic effects to come. It’s time for solar panels to be removed from the purview of historic district commissions, HOAs, and any other bodies that create unnecessary hurdles.
Phil Harford
Newmarket
Portsmouth shows double standard
June 19 − To the Editor:
If the facts in Sue Polidura’s letter to the editor published June 18 are accurate, then our City’s Legal Department operates on a curious double standard. According to Ms. Polidura, the City Council’s action to transfer some of the HDC’s power to regulate solar panels in the Historic District to a member of the Planning Staff clearly violates both a city ordinance and a state law which she quoted verbatim. Apparently the City Attorney made no attempt to advise the City Manager or the City Council that this action was illegal, and the councilors who proposed this plan and those who voted for an amended version of it are facing no consequences.
Yet the very same City Attorney brought an action to remove Planning Board member Jim Hewitt from his position for allegedly not perfectly following informal, internal city procedures. This is a flagrant example of an unacceptable double standard. It would seem that the City Attorney owes Jim Hewitt and the city’s taxpayers an apology, and that she should seriously consider taking steps to rectify the potentially illegal situation that our City Council has gotten us into regarding the HDC.
Christina Lusky
Portsmouth
Trump is only guilty of being a great president
June 19 — To the Editor:
Trump is guilty of 3 things. Defeating Hillary Clinton in 2016, demonstrating that the so-called elites who run this country are corrupt imbeciles, in it only for themselves; and finally, showing to the world that the USA has become a Banana Republic. We used to look with disdain at countries where the leaders jailed their political opponents, which is what the Biden cabal is desperately trying to do to Trump. What ever happened to winning at the ballot box?
Vote for the Dems if you look forward to ever higher taxes, more expensive gasoline and home heating oil, high crime, and a steady stream of illegal immigrants. It’s inevitable that Biden’s open border policies will lead to a terrorist attack(s) here in our country.
Polls show the election is a toss-up, which is hard to fathom given the havoc wreaked by Biden’s faulty policies.
Is there anything that is better now than it was during Trump’s administration?
Dave Bickford
Rye
President Biden has directly helped New Hampshire residents
June 21 −To The Editor:
Because he has been willing to patiently negotiate with the the other party, President Biden has gotten a huge amount of legislation passed. New Hampshire has felt the impact of these major legislative accomplishments.
For example, Biden’s American Rescue Plan of 2021, was intended to speed up the county’s recovery from the economic and health effects of COVID. By its two-year anniversary the results were for our state were obvious.
It powered a strong recovery in New Hampshire with the unemployment rate falling from 4.2% in January 2021 to 2.9% in December 2022, and led to a record 28,000 new small business application in the state.
All 241 NH towns received direct funds to avoid cuts and invest in public safety, housing, work force development, and 150 School Districts received funding to support academic recovery and student mental health.
Over 590 NH Child Care Programs received support to help keep their doors open, impacting up to 43,000 NH children, and the historic Child Tax Credit provided tax relief that benefited an estimated 144,000 families with 239,000 children in NH.
Health care savings, rental assistance, financial relief for college students and affordable high speed internet for businesses contributed to the recovery in our state.
Not resting there, President Biden worked with Republicans to pass the long term American Jobs Act to continue to rebuild and grow the economy and to preserve the economic security of the middle class. With a fast-growing economy, strong labor market and falling inflation, the US has outpaced in counterparts in Europe and elsewhere during these difficult times all over the world.
Keep up the good work, Joe!
Cynthia Muse
Rye
York committee to study short-term rentals agreed to before vote
June 20 – To the Editor:
I am writing to add an important piece of information missing from an article published in the Seacoast on June 18th about forming a committee to study how to regulate short-term rentals in York.
The article gave the impression that those who support regulation of short-term rentals in York were somehow getting a second bite of the apple, after failing by 241 votes out of 3,817. I would like to point out that those who opposed the ordinance on the May ballot also proposed forming a committee. The following was included on campaign material sent to voters by those opposed:
“Our recommendation is to reject the proposed ordinance and form a committee of diverse stakeholders to develop a better-informed approach. The committee would follow the town’s comprehensive plan and first develop an STR study to better understand their impact (positive and negative) on our town. This could take the form of first registering STRs, collecting a nominal fee and studying the impact of STRs to better inform future policies. The working committee would then review the study results and develop an appropriate approach”
It looks to me that the Selectboard is doing exactly what those opposed to the May ballot article on short-term rental regulations were asking of both the voters and the Selectboard.
Kirk Minnick
York
Send your letter to [email protected]
Please keep letters to 250 words or less. Submissions must include the writer’s first and last names, city or town and a daytime telephone number (which is for verification purposes only and will not be published). Send letters or commentaries to [email protected]. Letters from Seacoast-area writers addressing local topics will be given priority for publication.
This post was originally published on 3rd party site mentioned in the title of this site
