In 1998, Manchester city officials definitely were not
forthcoming about the details of plans to develop an industrial park
amidst their recently-acquired Hackett Hill urban forest. A single
public meeting concerning the issue was held prior to the acquisition
of the property, but since the meeting was announced with only a few
days notice, it was poorly attended. During 1999, even after the
actual purchase of the property from the University System of New
Hampshire in March, little information was
made readily available to the public, other than that approximately
140 acres of the property would be developed.
Certain
information concerning the development such as the "Preserve Development
Map" and EPA Compliance
Agreement could be obtained from the City Planning Department, but
few members of the public were aware of the availability of these
documents. A consulting engineering firm (VHB) was selected to
perform a master plan study for the development. Representatives from
this firm were present at an August 3, 1999 meeting of the Manchester
Board of Mayor and Aldermen. They outlined the scope of their
services, and participated in a discussion as to what types of
buildings might appear on the property.
During the spring of 1999, the Sierra Club of New
Hampshire, Merrimack Valley Group, became involved in the Hackett
Hill issue. A "Save Hackett Hill!"campaign was organized. A major
goal of this campaign was to make the Hackett Hill development scheme
and its significance available to the residents of the greater
Manchester area, and to try to answer as many of their questions as
possible.
Activists working in the "Save Hackett Hill" campaign found that many Manchester residents resented the fact that the true nature of the development plans was not made clearer to the public. Moreover, they believed that the public should have been included in the decision-making processes.