Name: Special meeting called to discuss using JFK Coliseum as winter homeless shelter
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Special meeting called to discuss using JFK Coliseum as winter homeless shelter

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You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.City aldermen will consider leasing out the JFK Memorial Coliseum ice arena on Beech Street for use as a homeless shelter during the winter months at a special meeting Tuesday night.The proposed lease would allow Families in Transition/New Horizons to house unsheltered people in the 29,512-square foot arena from Dec. 7 through March 31, 2021.Tuesday’s meeting will be held remotely beginning at 5 p.m.The proposal comes after state officials late last week removed dozens of homeless people living in tents on state property outside the Hillsborough County Superior Courthouse and erected fencing around the grounds.“FIT and the fire department have been working to identify locations around the city for a possible shelter,” Mayor Joyce Craig said. “This is a difficult decision, with no perfect solution — and this is the only viable option.”The state has rejected requests from Manchester officials to house homeless inside the National Guard Armory, in the armory parking lot and space at the Sununu Youth Services Center.Last week the National Guard denied a request to use the parking lot, telling Fire Chief Dan Goonan, the city’s emergency management director, that the 197th Field Artillery Brigade, which uses the armory, has been alerted for Middle East deployment in early 2022.The city first asked to use the armory in July, Craig said, and local officials held their first meeting about winter shelter in August.According to Craig, if the proposal is approved, the city would need about seven days to remove the ice from JFK Arena ahead of FIT/New Horizons setting up what is anticipated to be a 24/7 shelter.Aldermen are scheduled to discuss an estimated $1.4 million in capital improvement plan funding to be spent in connection with the roughly three-month shelter lease — $1.1 million for JFK Winter Emergency Shelter operations, $187,160 for COVID-19 shelter decompression work, $80,000 for 1269 Café bathroom renovation work at 456 Union St., and $242,505 in CARES Act Support Funds.The proposal involves only Emergency Solution Grants (ESG) funds, not city tax dollars, officials said.Homelessness has emerged as a hot-button issue between the state’s 13 mayors and Gov. Chris Sununu, with the sides trading strongly worded letters about who should be responsible for helping homeless people across New Hampshire.Craig has said the state should coordinate a statewide push to help homeless people, who move between cities and towns, while Sununu has countered by saying the state has given cities millions of dollars to address homelessness.JFK Memorial Coliseum is located at 303 Beech St., between Beech and Maple streets and Auburn and Valley streets. The arena is typically open mid-September through March.Because of COVID-19 and reduced staffing levels, public skating was canceled through at least Nov. 22. The arena is currently being used by local skating clubs and youth hockey programs.Constructed in 1963, the arena was home to the Manchester Blackhawks. The city completed the largest renovation in the coliseum’s history in 2007, then expanded the locker rooms in 2016.© Copyright 2022 , 100 William Loeb Drive Manchester, NH&nbsp;| &nbsp;|Powered by from .Sorry, an error occurred.You are logged in&nbsp;Sign up withThank you .Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.Check your email for details.Sign in withSubmitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.×Thank you.Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.Rate:Begins:Ends:Transaction ID:A receipt was sent to your email.This offer is currently unavailable.Close

You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.City aldermen will consider leasing out the JFK Memorial Coliseum ice arena on Beech Street for use as a homeless shelter during the winter months at a special meeting Tuesday night.The proposed lease would allow Families in Transition/New Horizons to house unsheltered people in the 29,512-square foot arena from Dec. 7 through March 31, 2021.Tuesday’s meeting will be held remotely beginning at 5 p.m.The proposal comes after state officials late last week removed dozens of homeless people living in tents on state...

Special meeting called to discuss using JFK Coliseum as winter homeless shelter

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