Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Pleasant Street project will lead to integral resurgence

Pleasant Street project will lead to integral resurgence

I am writing to each of the Claremont City Council members with several points concerning the project before you over the course of the next few weeks: the Pleasant Street project being called Rethink Pleasant Street.

This project has already been pointed out to be very doable, is clearly part of the Master Plan that was worked on and involved a large segment of residence participation at various levels and could happen next year when Pleasant Street must have its lead pipes removed and infrastructure, water and sewer lines replaced. With a bit more effort Claremont could be brought into the 21st century from 50 years ago. The residents were clear during the planning segments the last two years that improving and making Claremont a more attractive and up-to-date location, a destination and uniquely attractive for a younger age group. Bringing a younger homeowner here is really a must for Claremont as the tax burden would clearly then fall on senior taxpayers.

It may be important to mention here that I am also a merchant on Pleasant Street and am very aware of what rerouting truck traffic, improving parking, widening sidewalks and doing a little landscaping would do for us as a restaurant located on arguably the premier corner in Claremont. My wife Christine and I bought a struggling restaurant, mainly to offer a destination and draw to Claremont from outside the area. We invested heavily in Taverne on the Square. I retired in 2016 and bought the restaurant with our own cash. Working as an investment advisor in Manchester and Boston commuting each day home to Claremont, I did invite and, in some instances, dragged colleagues, clients, friends and acquaintances back here; virtually all commenting on how nice Claremont was and not at all what they were led to believe.

According to local realtors, buyers are flocking to purchase homes and move to more rural locations like Claremont to escape the hustle and bustle of big city life.

Let’s invest in ourselves for a change. Let’s make Claremont more attractive to residents and visitors. Let’s make our downtown the centerpiece of the city with liveliness. There is a certain appeal to being able to experience culture and vibrancy in a beautiful section of town and still be within walking distance of your quiet neighborhood.

As Christine and I have tried desperately to do, lead by example and put our money where our mouth is over the last five years, with the concert series at Arrowhead, Christmas lighting for three of the last five years, and donating thousands of plants, shrubs and flowers.

We all collectively need to think forward and take this step to make the investment in ourselves with you leading the way. Decades of talk about this with no action have lead us to where we are today; we all need to collectively work for the betterment of our community. Thank you all for your time and leadership. I thank you for voting in favor of the “Rethink Pleasant Street” project as proposed.

Michael Charest

Claremont, NH

Avatar photo

As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.