On November 19, 2010 the Town of Bow held a ground-breaking ceremony to celebrate construction of the first new municipal water system in over 40 years in NH and sewer system improvements. The water system includes a large capacity well, treatment works / pump station, million gallon water storage tank, and 30,000 feet of water mains. Sewer system improvements include replacement of the 25 year old Hall Street pump station and 25,000 feet of new and replacement sewer mains.
 
Bill Klubben, Director of Community Development for the Town of Bow was at the1999 Town Meeting when the Town authorized $50,000 for a consultant to prepare an economic development strategy, which led to the new water system. Bill was at the 2002 Town Meeting for the $12,500,000 bond authorization for design, construction, and easement acquisition. The Town hired Wright-Pierce of Topsham, Maine to study, design, and bid the project, and has hired Wright-Pierce to provide construction administration services. The new water system should be on line in 2011, although completion of all construction will likely come in 2012.
 
"I now know more about building a municipal water system than I ever thought I needed to know," said Klubben.
 
Ross Moldoff, Town of Salem Planning Director, will be leading a session at the APA National Conference in Boston on “Using Design Guidelines to Control Strip Development.” The session will be held on Monday, April 11, at 9 AM. Other speakers include landscape architect Terry DeWan from Yarmouth, Maine, and historic preservation planner Sarah Korjeff from the Cape Cod Commission in Barnstable, Massachusetts.

Several new retail projects have opened in Salem recently, including Lowe’s, Market Basket, CVS/Advance Auto Parts, and Tuscan Kitchen restaurant. These projects redeveloped older commercial sites and they feature upgraded architectural designs, landscaping, signage, and lighting, in accordance with Salem’s Retail Design Standards.

Salem’s big zoning initiative this year is the Depot Village Overlay District, which they hope will stimulate a mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly redevelopment of the Salem Depot area. The Planning Board worked on the District for much of the past year.

Lastly, a Salem high school student helped the town develop a web page to highlight new planning projects and developments like the ones noted above. Check out www.salemnhprojects.org for more information.