NASHUA – If staring out across the Nashua River from the Main Street Bridge, residents may notice something different along the riverbanks: Crews are working to clear brush that has been infested with invasive species.

By Friday afternoon, this work is expected to be complete, leaving behind a clear view of the water. Heretofore, it has been tough to get a glimpse of the river through all the overgrown vegetation.

This work serves as a stepping stone toward a much greater final project as part of the Downtown Nashua Riverfront Masterplan, which incorporates six major ideas for the city’s riverfront:

• Connectivity,

• Environmental stewardship,

• Access to the river,

•Recreation and green space,

• Flood resiliency and

• Economic development.

“The number one things in the riverfront plan were to clean up and start maintaining it, and to give people access to the river,” Director of Community Development Sarah Marchant said.

Marchant said so much of the riverfront featured various invasive species for so long that all of the bittersweet, for example, has grown up into the trees along the river. Moreover, although the focus for right now is on clearing out all of the brush, the city will soon undergo a massive tree-clearing project as part of the riverfront plan.

While this brush removal should take a matter of days to complete, Marchant said the tree removal project on the north and south banks will likely take almost the full month of January when everything is frozen. She said people will see very significant tree clearing along the whole riverfront on both sides, north and south to preserve the riverfront so people can access it.

These 13 different types of invasives are being removed, with the main species being Japanese knotweed and bittersweet, for example.

The work includes the northbank of the Nashua River from The Apartments At Cotton Mill over to Main Street, and from there to Jackson Falls. The work began Monday and is expected to be complete by Friday afternoon. However, Marchant said the invasive species spraying began a couple weeks ago in partnership with the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture. Marchant also said in the spring, city workers will perform another round of the invasives treatment on both the north and south banks. Once the treatment is complete, crews wait for up to three weeks and then clean up any remaining debris.

“It makes it seem like you’re part of the riverfront,” Marchant said.

With this removal work and the two new fountains that were recently placed in the Nashua River, these are just the first steps in implementing the riverfront plan. The city has, through the creation of the tax increment financing (TIF) district, Mayor Jim Donchess has created the funding to implement this plan.

The New Hampshire Office of Strategic Initiatives states that TIF is a method of financing public improvements with the incremental taxes created by new construction, expansion, or renovation of property within a defined area of the community. Basically, this means the government can collect the increase in property value to pay for the project that creates the additional value.

For example, if building a bridge will enhance the value of the district by $1 million, TIF allows the government to take the $1 million to pay for the bridge.

Director of Economic Development Tim Cummings is in charge of the TIF district, and the city hired a consulting firm to help him.

“We’re going to be bringing it to the Finance Committee in the next month or so,” Marchant said.

From there, work will continue on the actual design and permitting of all the cantilever bridges and the work to implement the Riverfront Master Plan. She said Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. is the lead, along with Hayner Swanson Inc. and Halvorson Design.

Currently, the city has one cantilever bridge near The Peddler’s Daughter. However, on the other three sides of the Main Street Bridge, there are plans to also cantilever. So, from all four sides of the Main Street Bridge, people will be able to walk toward and above the Nashua River. The bridges will go around Riverside Barbeque Co. and connect over near the Greeley House, as well as go off of Bicentennial Park and around 4 Water St. to connect to Parc de Notre Renaissance – and then on the other side on the Main Street bridge to go around the former The Telegraph building and back toward the Nashua Public Library to connect to the nearby trail. Additionally, there is a lighting plan in the works to illuminate the whole area. Officials will also install signs to let passersby know about the project and the invasive species management, tree trimming and tree removal.

“The beauty of the TIF district is that we have a dedicated source of funding to do exactly this that we’re doing right now, to start maintaining and cleaning up the riverfront on a regular basis,” Marchant said.

More information on the Downtown Nashua Riverfront Masterplan is available on the city’s website.

Adam Urquhart may be contacted at 594-1206, or at aurquhart@nashuatelegraph.com.

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