‘Compact’ parking spots are not open to interpretation

It’s amusing to drive into a parking garage and see how some people interpret the signs that say "compact cars only."

And in this case, "amusing" means "annoying."

According to "Mr. Google," compact cars are a classification of cars larger than a subcompact car but smaller than a midsize car.

While it’s a sure bet that spaces in which only compact cars are allowed to park are also appropriate for subcompact cars, it’s just as safe a bet that SUVs don’t qualify.

SUVs generally are classified as "light trucks." To be sure, there are some gigantic SUVs that aren’t "light" in any way. There certainly are other SUVs that are smaller, or more "compact," than gigantic SUVs, but they still don’t seem to fit into the category of "compact cars only."

There isn’t much doubt why a driver would park his or her SUV in a space marked "compact cars only": Those spaces can be more convenient to pull into and/or closer to a stairwell.

Nevertheless, if you’re such a driver, the spaces reserved for compact cars aren’t for you. They’re for drivers who are driving an actual compact car.

So, please, go find another parking spot.

The city’s homeless shelter has a new executive director

After 27 years at the helm, Lisa Christie recently retired from the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter.

The shelter’s board of directors this week announced that Michael Reinke, of North Carolina, will begin full duties at the end of November at the Quincy Street facility. Reinke previously served as the executive director of the
Inter-Faith Council for Social Service in North Carolina and also served as director of development for the Sanford School of Business at Duke University.

This is not his first spot with social services – he was previously the executive director of the Indiana State Coalition on Housing and Homeless Issues.

We wish Mr. Reinke luck as he begins his new job here in Nashua.

Safe Station programs will help in city in opioid battle

Nashua this week followed a favorable program in Manchester to fight the opioid crisis, implementing a Safe Station program to more readily get those with addiction issues into recovery and treatment options.

The program allows those seeking assistance to drop by a fire station in the city to be immediately checked out by ambulance crews, then connected with intake professionals with Harbor Homes to one of the nonprofit’s sites until a more permanent treatment facility is found.

"The Nashua community is committed to working together to respond to the opioid epidemic," Mayor Jim Donchess said at the Nov. 17 announcement. "The initiative will fill the gap for people who want to seek treatment and recovery but who do not have the resources or the wherewithal to immediately get into an appropriate treatment program."

The Safe Station program has helped more than 700 people in Manchester get into treatment.

This program has been an incredible success in the state’s largest city, and its growth into Nashua can only forge greater strength in the battle against opioids.

Most importantly, it provides for one less obstacle for Granite State families seeking recovery.