REAFFIRMING OUR STANCE

If you've been following the Middle School rebuilding

conversation, you will know that Concord Greenspace's original stance favored Rebuilding@Rundlett because this option most closely aligns with our focuses of Smart Growth, Sustainable Development, and Local Climate Action.  However, once the School Board voted to build a new school at Broken Ground, we felt it was beneficial to the overall community to accept and support that choice.  We declined to fight the decision because we believed educating students in a new building that's conducive to learning, as soon as possible, was the ultimate goal. The 2024 Ballot Amendments changed things..  

The passage of those ballot measures by over 60% of the votes made clear that a majority of the population either didn’t favor the School Board’s choice of the Broken Ground location and/or wanted a greater say in decisions regarding school locations. As a result, the School Board, who have stated time and again that building at Broken Ground is most likely the cheapest, fastest, and least disruptive site option, will once again vote on the location of the new middle school.

Concord Greenspace acknowledges that the disruption to current students, teachers, parents, and administrators during construction will be greater at Rundlett than Broken Ground, but this needs to be put in the context of the lifespan of the new school.  This decision will have lasting impacts on the whole community for several decades.

The School Board has scheduled a Hearing about the two locations on Wednesday January 22, 6:00 pm at the Concord High School Auditorium.  The meeting will consist of public comment, followed by School Board discussion and a final vote on location for the new school.  It is important for everyone to have their voice heard and to attend if possible! If you are unable to attend, send emails to: info@sau8.org and request that your email be forwarded to the entire school board and supporting staff. 

A Deeper Dive:

We believe Smart Growth, Sustainable Development, and Local Climate Action did not receive proper consideration during the School Board’s initial decision making process. When those principles are accounted for it is clear that the Rundlett site is the best location.  The following items demonstrate how choosing the Rundlett site meets the criteria of Smart Growth, Sustainable Development, and Local Climate Action. 

Impact to Public Infrastructure

• Rebuild@Rundlett reuses the existing public infrastructure needed to support a new middle school, including existing public roads, water, and sewer.

• McKee Square (the intersection of Clinton Street, Broadway and South Street - half a mile from Rundlett School)  is slated to have state-funded safety and capacity upgrades in the near future, improving traffic flows and increasing pedestrian safety in this area. 

Safety 

• 4 Fire stations are within  2 ½  miles of the current Rundlett location (3 in Concord and 1 in Bow) 

• Existing and future Concord Police Stations are within 2 ½ miles from the Rundlett site.

• Neighborhood watch effect. 

  • Having people home on all sides of the school during off hours when the school is unoccupied, and having the school occupied during the day while most residents are not home, reinforces everyone's security.

Equity 

• Building the school at Broken Ground, which is in the wealthiest census tract in the city, increases inequity within our community. While a good number of economically disadvantaged students live within 2 miles of Broken Ground, they are separated from the school site by an interstate highway.

• Only the small number of students who live in the immediate vicinity of the Broken Ground site are able to get themselves safely to school without needing to be driven.

Neighborhood support

• It is rare that a group of residents abutting a large development project come to a developer (the school board) and voluntarily ask for their neighborhood to be turned into a construction site. The residents surrounding Rundlett are saying loudly that any temporary inconvenience due to construction is worth reusing this property as the location for the school district's new middle school.This alone shows remarkable support for the school to be rebuilt at its current site.

Community Integration 

• As some school board members have mentioned, Rundlett’s current location allows for much more robust collaboration with the other facilities in our community. Middle schoolers could take high school classes and high schoolers can mentor middle schoolers athletically and academically, without needing separate transport. 

• Within 1.5 miles of the Rundlett site are: Concord High School, Memorial Field, Rollins Park, Martin Park, The Federal District Courthouse of NH, Concord District Courthouse, State of NH Library, NH Historical Society, Concord Public Library, City Hall, Merrimack County Superior Courthouse, and Concord’s Wastewater Treatment Facility, just to name of few of the available learning experiences that are within walking distance. 

• The streets surrounding the Rundlett site have ample sidewalks and slower traffic, giving parents the comfort to allow their middle-schoolers more independence to walk or bike to local businesses after school with their friends. 

Future Planning

• Building at Rundlett preserves the Broken Ground site for any of the future needs that the school board has discussed, such as expanded preschool and Concord Regional Technical Center (CRTC) facilities.

• The Broken Ground property would remain available to be developed as athletic fields,or any other facility the district may need in the future. 

Environmental Impact

• The proposed rebuilding plan at the Rundlett site eliminates the current pollution to Bow Brook from driveway and parking lot stormwater runoff, which benefits not only the new school, but the entire surrounding neighborhood.

• The plan provides for compact and efficient use of the land available, a tenet of Smart Growth. 

• The Rundlett site is convenient and easily accessible for anyone who wants to see the viability of net zero construction techniques.

Economic Impact

• Concord’s South End is an existing, walkable, mixed-use neighborhood with many stores owned by Concord residents. Many of their employees are also Concord residents.

• These businesses, such as Flanagan's (formerly Cimos), Milanos, Man Yee, South End Market, and Tuckers (to name a few) utilize local banks, local tax preparers, and advertise in local media outlets. These South End businesses would lose valuable foot and vehicle traffic if the school were to be moved away from the Rundlett location.

• If the Broken Ground site is chosen, the foot and vehicle traffic lost by the South End businesses would be gained by the overwhelming majority of national franchise businesses that line Loudon Road. These franchised businesses outsource most administrative tasks to their parent organizations and therefore they typically do not patronize other local businesses.

Unknowns

• Development at Broken Ground would create a significant amount of unfunded permanent municipal liabilities that haven’t yet been discussed.  These include new pavement, sewer, water, storm drain, traffic management, and athletic field maintenance. What impact will this likely have on Concord’s future property tax burden?