Latest news with #JayRuais
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Manchester school board warns language in budget trailer bill could cost city schools $10.2M
The Manchester school board is sending a letter to state legislators sounding the alarm about a small section — six lines, to be exact — in the state budget trailer bill (HB 2) that would cost the school district approximately $10.2 million next fiscal year. Page 70 of the bill includes language establishing what is essentially a cap on targeted aid for larger school districts. For districts with 5,000 or more students, the bill seeks to subtract from targeted state aid until the amount decreases to $3,750 per student. The cap would effectively cut Manchester's adequacy aid from $127.8 million under current law to just under $117.6 million — a cut of more than $10.2 million. By comparison, the city of Nashua would see its targeted aid jump by more than $1.2 million under the new language, from $83.2 million to $84.4 million. 'As far as we can tell, Manchester is the only municipality in New Hampshire that stands to lose money because of this cap on targeted aid,' the letter from Manchester's school board to the Legislature's Committee of Conference says. 'Such a loss would put at risk our ability to best serve the educational needs of our students.' The state's education aid formula was tweaked in response to Manchester getting a bonus from the introduction of the Extraordinary Needs Grant in 2021, a more than $30 million annual increase. The amendment limits that bonus and will lead to Manchester getting more than $10 million less than it gets now. The amendment received support from members of both parties, because the $10 million is being shared by other income- and property-poor communities like Berlin, Claremont and Franklin. Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais said Tuesday he has been in contact with some of the committee members, who will likely begin meeting later this week. "I am reaching out to the conferees to gather information and develop a course of action to address this issue," Ruais said. School board member Bob Baines, a former mayor and educator, said he spoke to Gov. Kelly Ayotte about the targeted cap last week. 'We've been in touch with various representatives, but this needs to be watched very, very carefully in the (Legislature's) Committee of Conference,' Baines said. 'Can you imagine the devastation that will occur in Manchester, the most significant devastation possible in our public schools. We all need to work on that with our representatives, because I think in any big government bill — no matter how big and beautiful it is — some people don't read it and don't understand. 'Why would Manchester be singled out as the only community in the state of New Hampshire that would lose funding? If you care about Manchester, we should get that funding — we planned on it.' School board member Sean Parr drafted the letter and gathered the signatures of fellow board members this week. 'We are hoping to reach out to the Committee of Conference to let them know that it has this particular effect only on Manchester,' Parr said. 'I think it would be good for us to at least explain the situation, tell them that it's a significant impact to our budget in its current form, and to ask that they reconsider that part of the budget proposal.' In the letter, school board members urge committee members to reconsider the 'targeted cap' portion of the bill, warning the proposed budget could lead to 'harmful cuts and reductions to student services.' School officials point out that despite being the largest school district in New Hampshire with nearly 12,000 students, Manchester ranks at the bottom of the state in per-pupil spending, with over 53% of students qualifying for free and reduced-price meals, 20% multilingual learners, and 23% special education students. 'The proposed reductions would therefore have devastating consequences for our students, our educators, and ultimately, the future of our city,' the letter says. 'We welcome the opportunity to engage in continued dialogue, and we hope that you will collaborate in crafting a budget that reflects the values, priorities, and long-term vision of a thriving state with excellent public schools.' pfeely@
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hallsville project heads to city ZBA for variances
A developer looking to convert a vacant 134-year-old Manchester schoolhouse into up to 40 units of affordable housing will go before the city's zoning board this week seeking multiple variances needed for the project to proceed. York Hallsville Building LLC will request the variance for the proposed renovation of the Hallsville School building, 275 Jewett St., at Thursday's meeting of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, slated for a 6 p.m. start at City Hall. The Hallsville School has been closed since 2021, but Mayor Jay Ruais recently announced the city has agreed to sell the historic property to York Real Estate for $50,000. The building would be fully renovated as part of the project, with the facade remaining. The renovations will create a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. The site around the building will be improved, including new landscaping, with the gym remaining and available to the Manchester Parks and Recreation Department for pickleball and other activities. The sale won't become official until York is awarded funding from New Hampshire housing and historic preservation tax credits and other sources, a process which could take up to two years. During that time, York's team is working on permitting and design. York expects to file the project's first pre-application in June, with full applications due in September. Award details are announced in January, with funding available the next spring for chosen projects. If unsuccessful during the first cycle, applicants usually reapply in year two. The variances York is seeking are as follows: • 5.10.A.6-Allowed uses — Multifamily dwellings are not permitted within the R-2 Zone; • 5.10.H-5.2-Allowed uses — Gym/recreation centers are not permitted within the R-2 Zone. While the school itself is not currently being used, the existing gym is used as a pickleball center open to the public. The project proposes preserving the existing school gym with the intent to lease it back to the city to operate the recreation programs. The entrance and the lobby will be shared space between the residential and the leased gym. • 6.03.A-Front yard setback — R-2 zone requires 15-foot front setback for principal use. The existing school and gym that occupy the site, currently exist in a configuration which violates current zoning front yard setbacks. • 6.03.C-Side yard setback — R-2 zone requires 20-foot side setback for principal use. • 6.04-Maximum lot coverage — R-2 zone requires 75% for principal use. As the three lots currently exist today, they combine for a 96.9% impervious cover. The project is proposing to increased greenspace on the lots by approximately 5,330 square feet. • 6.06-Maximum floor area ratio. • 8.04-Multifamily dwelling density -– The R-2 zone does not utilize multifamily dwelling density. The project involves a combined lot area of 55,000 square feet. Current density calculations allow for one unit per 1,525 square feet, and the project is requesting a variance to allow up to 40 units, resulting in a density of one unit per 1,375 square feet. The final bell rang at Hallsville in June 2021, 130 years after it opened. In the 2022 fiscal year budget, former Superintendent of Schools John Goldhardt recommended that the school be closed. The three-story structure was originally constructed as an eight-classroom building, four classrooms per floor, with each classroom about 900 square feet in area. The basement contained the boiler room and restrooms. Two stairways, one on the east side of the building and one on the west side, connected the three stories. The stairways opened onto the center core of the building, measuring about 20 by 27 feet. In 1908, the building was cut in half, with the eastern half rolled 40 feet to the east and the void infilled with three full stories, creating four additional classrooms to create a 12-classroom structure. Various updates and renovations were made over the course of the building's history. In 1975, aluminum windows replaced the original double-hung units. In 1993, a gymnasium and lobby were added, along with an elevator, to make the building accessible. The site measures 220 feet along Jewett Street, 250 feet along Merrill Street, 250 feet along Hayward Street and is fully paved with asphalt. The site includes 28 parking spaces on the north side of the parcel, 15 spaces to the west and eight spaces to the east, for a total of 51 off-street parking spaces. Aldermen hit the reset button in 2023 on discussions about the future of the former school after plans to convert the vacant building into a mixed-use community center were scrapped. A proposal from Southern New Hampshire Services and Granite State Children's Alliance was withdrawn because of inadequate funding. Plans included 20 units of affordable housing for seniors, an early childhood classroom and a Child Advocacy Center, operated by Granite State Children's Alliance, which would have offered services to children who have experienced trauma. An architect hired to look at the feasibility of repurposing the vacant building into a community center estimated in 2024 that such a plan would require nearly $5 million in upgrades and $100,000 in annual maintenance costs.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hallsville project heads to city ZBA for variances
A developer looking to convert a vacant 134-year-old Manchester schoolhouse into up to 40 units of affordable housing will go before the city's zoning board this week seeking multiple variances needed for the project to proceed. York Hallsville Building LLC will request the variance for the proposed renovation of the Hallsville School building, 275 Jewett St., at Thursday's meeting of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, slated for a 6 p.m. start at City Hall. The Hallsville School has been closed since 2021, but Mayor Jay Ruais recently announced the city has agreed to sell the historic property to York Real Estate for $50,000. The building would be fully renovated as part of the project, with the facade remaining. The renovations will create a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. The site around the building will be improved, including new landscaping, with the gym remaining and available to the Manchester Parks and Recreation Department for pickleball and other activities. The sale won't become official until York is awarded funding from New Hampshire housing and historic preservation tax credits and other sources, a process which could take up to two years. During that time, York's team is working on permitting and design. York expects to file the project's first pre-application in June, with full applications due in September. Award details are announced in January, with funding available the next spring for chosen projects. If unsuccessful during the first cycle, applicants usually reapply in year two. The variances York is seeking are as follows: • 5.10.A.6-Allowed uses — Multifamily dwellings are not permitted within the R-2 Zone; • 5.10.H-5.2-Allowed uses — Gym/recreation centers are not permitted within the R-2 Zone. While the school itself is not currently being used, the existing gym is used as a pickleball center open to the public. The project proposes preserving the existing school gym with the intent to lease it back to the city to operate the recreation programs. The entrance and the lobby will be shared space between the residential and the leased gym. • 6.03.A-Front yard setback — R-2 zone requires 15-foot front setback for principal use. The existing school and gym that occupy the site, currently exist in a configuration which violates current zoning front yard setbacks. • 6.03.C-Side yard setback — R-2 zone requires 20-foot side setback for principal use. • 6.04-Maximum lot coverage — R-2 zone requires 75% for principal use. As the three lots currently exist today, they combine for a 96.9% impervious cover. The project is proposing to increased greenspace on the lots by approximately 5,330 square feet. • 6.06-Maximum floor area ratio. • 8.04-Multifamily dwelling density -– The R-2 zone does not utilize multifamily dwelling density. The project involves a combined lot area of 55,000 square feet. Current density calculations allow for one unit per 1,525 square feet, and the project is requesting a variance to allow up to 40 units, resulting in a density of one unit per 1,375 square feet. The final bell rang at Hallsville in June 2021, 130 years after it opened. In the 2022 fiscal year budget, former Superintendent of Schools John Goldhardt recommended that the school be closed. The three-story structure was originally constructed as an eight-classroom building, four classrooms per floor, with each classroom about 900 square feet in area. The basement contained the boiler room and restrooms. Two stairways, one on the east side of the building and one on the west side, connected the three stories. The stairways opened onto the center core of the building, measuring about 20 by 27 feet. In 1908, the building was cut in half, with the eastern half rolled 40 feet to the east and the void infilled with three full stories, creating four additional classrooms to create a 12-classroom structure. Various updates and renovations were made over the course of the building's history. In 1975, aluminum windows replaced the original double-hung units. In 1993, a gymnasium and lobby were added, along with an elevator, to make the building accessible. The site measures 220 feet along Jewett Street, 250 feet along Merrill Street, 250 feet along Hayward Street and is fully paved with asphalt. The site includes 28 parking spaces on the north side of the parcel, 15 spaces to the west and eight spaces to the east, for a total of 51 off-street parking spaces. Aldermen hit the reset button in 2023 on discussions about the future of the former school after plans to convert the vacant building into a mixed-use community center were scrapped. A proposal from Southern New Hampshire Services and Granite State Children's Alliance was withdrawn because of inadequate funding. Plans included 20 units of affordable housing for seniors, an early childhood classroom and a Child Advocacy Center, operated by Granite State Children's Alliance, which would have offered services to children who have experienced trauma. An architect hired to look at the feasibility of repurposing the vacant building into a community center estimated in 2024 that such a plan would require nearly $5 million in upgrades and $100,000 in annual maintenance costs.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Manchester aldermen approve sale of Hackett Hill lots for mixed-use development
Manchester aldermen have approved the sale of six lots within the city's Hackett Hill property to a local developer with plans to transform the site into what's described as a 'first-of-its-kind' mixed-use development for the Queen City. It will feature 230 modern townhomes, 96 multifamily garden units, and 96 mixed-use units. On Tuesday, city aldermen voted unanimously to approve the sale to Manchester-based Socha Companies, after members of the aldermanic Commitee on Lands and Buildings voted to deem the six lots (Lots 15, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E, and portion of 15M) totaling 88.3 acres in the Hackett Hill property — also known as Northwest Business Park — surplus, and forgo a Request for Proposals (RFP) process for the land. 'There was broad consensus on the board last night, it went unanimously,' Mayor Jay Ruais said Wednesday. 'The project itself, I think, is going to offer us a great opportunity to open up this parcel of land, bring in desperately needed new housing. It's a beautiful mixed-use site with a walkable community. 'I think these are some of the great things that we're going to be bringing to Manchester in the years ahead, and you have a local developer who already has a proven track record of being successful in the city of Manchester, working on great projects, and using local contractors as well to do the work. This is going to be a true hometown success story here in Manchester.' No purchase price was mentioned publicly during Tuesday's meeting. The Northwest Business Park is comprised of land that poses significant challenges for development. The area is known for its shallow depth to ledge and very steep grades. The parcels being discussed contain more than 18 acres of steep slope (greater than 25%) area and estimated to contain approximately 3 acres of jurisdictional wetlands. In addressing the 'public good' that would come from forgoing the RFP process, Alderman Joe Kelly Levasseur said he has sat on or been involved with the Board of Mayor and Aldermen since 1999, and the site still sits unused. 'Over the last 25 years that I've been involved in city politics, there was one buyer who went in there and had to be foreclosed on,' Levasseur said. 'We've recently just had a big commercial bio fabricator come in and say they were interested, and then go through motions and sales and numbers which took that property off the market for at least a year, and then pulled out. We've been sitting here not collecting property taxes on any of that land for almost 40 years. So we will now have a purchaser and a buyer, the Socha family, who have done amazing work in the city of Manchester.' Alderman Pat Long said Socha Companies has built in the vicinity of the Hackett Hill site. 'They know the land, they know what they need to do with the ledge, and that gives me confidence,' Long said. 'The fact that this is mixed-use — it'd be nice to get a cleaner there. It'd be nice to get a barber. It'd be nice to get plenty of things that will add to the economic development on the West Side.' Levasseur said Socha Companies will be fixing and rebuilding a road that currently goes through the property, at a cost of about $2.5 million. 'We believe that once the Socha family starts to build in there and reconstructs that road, that more developers, commercial developers, home developers, businesses, will have an opportunity to be able to use that road to get to other spots on that property,' Levassuer said. 'I believe there's another 250 acres or so that is still going to be available after this proportion is sold off, so we're looking at finally getting something done. 'Thank goodness I'm going to be having this done while I'm sitting here, because it's been something I've been really, really wanting for a long time.' The first phase of Socha's plan for the site is a 230-unit residential townhouse development to be constructed on Lots 15 & 15D on the west side of the access road. All units will be market-rate rentals with a mixture of two and three bedrooms. The second phase of development will be on Lots 15B and 15C on the east side of the main access road. This development will include an initial mixed-use component on Lot 15C followed by a multi-family development on Lot 15B. Underground parking would be provided in the basement of the buildings for residents. This area would create 48,000 square feet of commercial space and 96 residential units. Lot 15B would then be developed with conventional, mid-rise, multi-family buildings accessed through the mixed-use development on Lot 15C. These buildings are also envisioned to be four-story buildings that will add an additional 96 residential units. All traffic to and from the development will be accessed via the Hackett Hill neighborhood to the north. Socha Companies will need to work with the city to prepare a Traffic Impact Assessment that studies the potential impacts to the Hackett Hill Road and Route 3A roadway networks.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reports say Manchester aldermen already have 'significant authority' over school budget
New reports from the Manchester city clerk and solicitor's offices suggest making the local school district a city department wouldn't give the mayor or aldermen much more power over the school budget then they already have. The reports appear as an agenda item for Tuesday's meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, scheduled for 7 p.m. at City Hall. An effort to ask Manchester voters if they support making the school district a department of the city, a topic debated on and off for decades, was given new life recently when Mayor Jay Ruais broke a 7-7 tie to send a request to look at either making the Manchester School District a city department or granting the mayor the power to set the district's budget to the aldermen for study, ahead of possible placement on the November election ballot. While the school district isn't a city department, aldermen must approve its budget. For the matter to appear on a municipal ballot this November, aldermen need to take a final vote on the matter by Tuesday, June 3. City Clerk Matt Normand and City Solicitor Emily Rice were asked to research the topic ahead of a vote on the matter, with the understanding that the goal was to give the mayor more say over the school budget, including line-item veto power. In her report, Rice writes that she investigated the issue through the lens of establishing authority of the aldermen over the budget of the Manchester School District. 'It is the opinion of this office that the Mayor and the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BMA) possess significant authority in this regard under both the current charter and applicable state law,' Rice writes. Rice points out the mayor has 'extensive authority over the form, procedure and adoption of the city's annual budget,' and the school district budget is subject to the approval of the BMA. 'If the BMA rejects the budget as submitted, the school committee is required to 'submit a revised budget which shall not exceed the maximum dollar amount established by the board of mayor and aldermen,'" Rice writes, quoting the city's Charter. 'The Charter contains no language which would, after rejection by the BMA, permit the submission of (a) school department budget which exceeds the maximum amount established by the BMA. 'It does not appear that seeking to amend the Charter to make the school district a department of city government would be an effective means of attempting to add to the city's significant existing authority over the school district budget.' Rice adds any such amendment would be subject to numerous controlling state statutes and administrative rules governing the authority and responsibilities of local school boards, school districts and superintendents. In a report on his on findings, Normand writes he was asked to present to the board a comparison of charter sections related to the school district within the current City Charter (known as the 1997 Charter) and the previous City Charter (known as the 1983 Charter), to the extent that the district had previously been considered a department. Normand also reviewed the 1996 Charter Commission minutes. 'It is clear that the commission was very deliberate in maintaining the same level of authority for both the district and the BMA outlined in the 1983 City Charter while making minor changes they believed would clarify responsibilities of each,' Normand writes. 'In summary, there is no appreciable difference between the two charters as it relates to the school district. There is no section of the 1983 City Charter that represents the district as a department; in fact, the 1997 City Charter expanded the seats on the Board of School Committee from twelve members to fourteen members (at-large positions), reiterated that the school district budget shall constitute a single line item, yet gave future mayors the ability to veto all acts of the aldermen including actions related to the entire budget or any line item thereof, for the first time.' Efforts to bring city schools under the umbrella of city government have fallen short over the past 20 years.
