PHOTOS
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ADAM BURKE
THE BROWN BLOCK ON OPERA HOUSE SQUARE
THE PETERSON BUILDING ON WATER STREET
THE WOVEN LABEL BUILDING
BEHIND THE PETERSON BUILDING
BEHI
THE WAINSHAL BUILDING ON WATER STREET
THE SAWTOOTH PARKING GARAGE ON MAIN STREET
THE WATER STREET MILL PROJECT
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JUDITH MORIARTY
PETERSON BUILDING
VIEW FROM MAIN STREET
BEHIND THE PETERSON BUILDING
VIEW FROM PETERSEN BUILDING DOWN MAIN STREET
BEHIND WAINSHAL BUILDING
INSIDE WAINSHAL BUILDING
SAWTOOTH BUILDING PARKING GARAGE SITE
FENCE AROUND SAWTOOTH BUILDING
WONDER HOW MUCH THIS RENT-A-FENCE IS COSTING
THE CLAREMONT TAXPAYERS?
THE OSCAR BROWN BLOCK PROJECT
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JUDITH MORIARTY
THIS PROJECT BEGAN ON DECEMBER 11, 2002. MAIN
STREET DIRECTOR ANTHONY LYONS & CITY MANAGER
GUY SANTAGATE SPEARHEADED THIS PROJECT WHICH
ALLOWED THE CLAREMONT MAIN STREET ORGANIZATION
TO PURCHASE THE FULLY OCCUPIED BUILDING. ALL THE
TENANTS (INCLUDING A RESTAURANT) WERE THEN
EVICTED, THE BUILDING WAS GUTTED AND AFTER THAT
ALL WORK SUDDENLY STOPPED. THE BUILDING HAS
REMAINED DORMANT EVER SINCE. IN 2003 MR. LYONS
QUIT THE MAIN STREET ORGANIZATION (WHICH
ACCORDING TO MEDIA ACCOUNTS WAS LOSING
LARGE NUMBERS OF MEMBERS AND DONATIONS) AND
TOOK A POSITION WITHIN THE SANTAGATE
ADMINISTRATION (ONE OF MR. LYONS TASKS WAS TO
ADMINISTER THE C.D.B.G. GRANT THE CITY GOT FOR THE
BROWN BLOCK PROJECT, MEANING THAT MR.
LYONS HAD WORKED THIS PROJECT FROM BOTH SIDES
UNTIL HE LEFT FOR A POSITION IN GAINESVILLE
FLORIDA). AT THE PRESENT TIME THE MAIN STREET
ORGANIZATION IS TRYING TO DUMP THE BUILDING ONTO
A KEENE NH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GROUP,
PROVIDED ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE PROJECT CAN
BE RAISED. THE GAINESVILLE SUN RECENTLY DID A
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ABOUT ANTHONY LYONS.
GAINESVILLE SUN BUSINESS EDITOR ANTHONY CLARK,
(WHO WROTE THE ARTICLE) BEGAN THE STORY BY
STATING "NEVERMIND THE RESUME. ANTHONY LYONS
HAS A TOWN TO SHOWCASE HIS WORK". FURTHER DOWN
THE ARTICLE TOM SAUNDERS, THE GAINESVILLE
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR IS QUOTED AS
SAYING "ANTHONY HAS EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN
STREETSCAPE PROJECTS, IMPLEMENTING PUBLIC
IMPROVEMENTS, NEGOTIATING AGREEMENTS WITH
DEVELOPERS AND IN ENSURING THE URBAN DESIGN
QUALITY IS HIGH IN ALL PROJECTS". IT'S BEEN SAID
THAT "A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS".
THESE PICTURES TELL A VERY DIFFERENT STORY THAN
WHAT APPEARED IN THIS GAINESVILLE SUN ARTICLE.
READ THE ARTICLE AND JUDGE FOR YOURSELF.
USE THIS LINK TO READ GAINESVILLE SUN ARTICLE
LOWE'S SITE TAKEN FROM CHESTNUT STREET
PHOTO COURTESY OF JUDITH MORIARTY
IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THE TREELINE YOU CAN SEE THE
TOXIC DIRT PILED ON THE SITE. SOME OF THIS DIRT WAS
TAKEN FROM MONADNOCK PARK. THE CITY DONATED
THE SOIL TO THE LOWE'S PROJECT WHEN THE CITY WAS
BUILDING THE RUNNING TRACK. IT WAS LATER
DISCOVERED THAT THE DIRT FROM THE PARK WAS ALSO
CONTAMINATED, EXCEEDING THE SAFE LEVEL TO BE
TOUCHED SO IT HAD TO BE ENCAPSULATED IN A
MINIMUM OF TWO FEET OF DIRT IN ORDER TO BE
CONSIDERED SAFE. WE MADE PUBLIC THE EPA REPORT
WHICH PROVES THIS SEVERAL MONTHS AGO AND THUS
FAR CITY OFFICIALS HAVE DONE NOTHING TO ENSURE
THE SAFETY OF THE CLAREMONT CITIZENS WHO USE THE
PARK (MOST OF WHOM ARE YOUNG CHILDREN).
THE VISITOR CENTER
IN 2001 THE RECENTLY COMPLETED VISITOR
CENTER, (WHICH WAS FUNDED WITH FEDERAL
GRANT MONEY) WAS VACANT. THE ORIGINAL PLAN
WAS TO ONLY USE THE TOP FLOOR OF THE
BUILDING. AT THAT TIME THE ONLY THING THAT
STILL NEEDED TO BE DONE BEFORE OCCUPING THE
BUILDING WAS FOR THE TOP FLOOR TO BE MADE
A.D.A. COMPLIANT. CLAREMONT'S NEW CITY
MANAGER GUY SANTAGATE DECIDED TO TURN
THE VISITOR CENTER IN AN ANNEX OF CITY HALL
BY PLACING BOTH THE PLANNING & ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT OFFICES ON THE FIRST FLOOR. THE
A.D.A. COMPLIANCY ISSUES WEREN'T ADDRESSED.
THE GOVERNMENT AGENCY WHO SUPPLIED THE
FUNDS TO BUILD THE VISITOR CENTER LATER
DEMANDED THAT THE FIRST FLOOR BE TURNED
INTO A VISITOR CENTER OR THE FEDERAL FUNDS
USED TO BUILD THE VISITOR CENTER BE
RETURNED. THE CITY MANAGER THEN DECIDED TO
MOVE THE GOVERNMENT OFFICES DOWNSTAIRS
MAKING MATTERS EVEN WORSE BECAUSE NOW
TWO FLOORS OF THIS BUILDING WOULD HAVE TO
BE BROUGHT INTO A.D.A. COMPLIANCE WHICH
WOULD NOW INCLUDE THE INSTALLATION OF
AN ELEVATOR ALL AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE. IN 2006
AN AGREEMENT WAS SIGNED BETWEEN THE U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND THE CLAREMONT
CITY MANAGER, REQUIRING CLAREMONT TO MAKE
THE ENTIRE VISITOR CENTER A.D.A. COMPLIANT
BY THE END OF 2006 (EXCEPT FOR THE
INSTALLATION OF THE NEW ELEVATOR WHICH HAS
TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF 2007). THE
PHOTOS BELOW TAKEN OF THE VISITOR CENTER
BY TWO LOCAL RESIDENTS, ON DECEMBER 28,
2006 CLEARLY SHOW THAT MANY OF THE THINGS
THE AGREEMENT REQUIRED BE DONE BY THE END
OF 2006, HAS YET TO BE DONE. SINCE THE MONEY
WAS BUDGETED WHY WASN'T THE WORK DONE?
WAS THE MONEY SPENT ELSEWHERE? HOW WILL
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE RESPOND?
HERE'S THE LINK FOR THE AGREEMENT:
http://www.ada.gov/claremont.htm
PHOTOS COURTESY OF:
ROLAND IRISH III
&
LARRY STEVENS
HANDICAPPED PARKING
CRACK IN SIDEWALK
DOWNSTAIRS BATHROOM
DOWNSTAIRS KITCHEN
IMPROPER SIGNAGE
IMPROPER STAIR SIGNAGE
MAIN ENTRANCE
MAIN SIDEWALK
SIGNS MISSING
STAIRS TO DOWNSTAIRS
UPSTAIRS BATHROOM
DOWNSTAIRS
DOWNSTAIRS DRIVEWAY
DOWNSTAIRS ENTRANCE
PAD ON WEST SIDE OF BUILDING
SECOND CRACK
