Today, at City Hall, Mayor Guita and Alderman and State Senator Ted Gatsas claimed success in regard to the near loss of Manchester's downtown access to inter-city bus transit.

Starting in November, Manchester will be reduced to almost half the round trip service to Boston that now operates from the downtown terminal.

State Senate Candidate Bob Backus calls the Guinta/Gatsas plan "inadequate." He went on to say, "Sen. Gatsas and Mayor Guinta have managed to dig a deep hole for the citizens of Manchester. Now they are tossing in a few spade-fulls of dirt and are trying to claim victory. This is no victory."

The facts are clear:

• The number of round trips available from downtown are being drastically cut in half.
• There is still no assurance that riders will have an operating bus terminal to use the reduced service.
• The downtown bus terminal may yet close at the very time when the massive multi-year Granite Street Gateway project is to be completed, with seven lanes of traffic leading directly to the facility.

"In this time of high gas prices and environmental concerns, to have such a drastically reduced schedule for inter-city bus service is unacceptable," said Backus.

"The time to have addressed this issue goes back at least two years. It would have been nice if Sen. Gatsas would have cared about this when he wasn't just in an election."

MANCHESTER (August 21, 2008) – A t 10:30 a.m., on Monday, August 25, 2008, in Mayor Frank Guinta’s Office; One City Hall Plaza, Manchester; Mayor Guinta will be releasing the revised Boston Express bus schedule for the Manchester Transportation Center.

Along with Mayor Frank Guinta, speaking at the press conference will be State Senator and Alderman Theodore Gatsas, and Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission Executive Director David Preece. Also in attendance to answer questions will be Manchester Transportation Authority Executive Director David Smith, Manchester Economic Development Office director Jay Minkarah, Executive Councilor Raymond Wieczorek, and members of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

“While Boston Express continues to finalize this schedule, I can assure people that the city has pressed its case regarding the importance of inter-city bus service to and from Manchester, particularly to Boston. I expect the concessions that we receive to be substantial. I am proud of all the work that has been done at the state and local level to work with Boston Express on this important issue,” Guinta said.

Please contact Mark Laliberte at (603) 624-6500 or (603) 490-4098 if you have any questions or specific media requests regarding the press conference. Updated bus schedules will be available beforehand.

MANCHESTER (August 11, 2008) – A t 10:00 a.m., on Tuesday, August 12, 2008, at the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce; 889 Elm St. (Third Floor), Manchester; Mayor Frank Guinta will be convening the Mayor’s Multimodal Transit Summit. The purpose of the event will be to go over transportation options in the city and within the region. State and local officials, as well as other stakeholders, will be represented at the event, which is open to the public.

In addition, there will be a press conference held at the conclusion of the summit (approximately 12:10 p.m.). This will be a recap of the summit and will have Mayor Guinta, as well as other stakeholders, available for comment.

Monday, August 11, 2008

7:00 p.m. – Regular meeting of the Board of School Committee, 286 Commercial St., One City Hall Plaza, Manchester

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

10:00 a.m. – Multi-modal Transportation Summit, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, 889 Elm St., Manchester

2:00 p.m. – New Hampshire Food Bank check ceremony; New Hampshire Food Bank; 62 West Brook St.; Manchester

4:30 p.m. – Get Out And Learn (GOAL) event; merchantauto.com Stadium; 1 Line Drive; Manchester

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

10:00 a.m. – Employee Appreciation ceremony; Aldermanic Chambers; One City Hall Plaza; Manchester

Thursday, August 14, 2008

6:00 p.m. – 16th Annual Cigna/Elliot Corporate 5K Road Race; Veterans Park; Elm Street; Manchester

Saturday, August 16, 2008

9:30 a.m. – Liberty House Run for the Shelter; 75 West Baker St.; Manchester

12:00 p.m. – LatinoFest; Veterans Park; Elm Street; Manchester

Please contact Mark Laliberte at (603) 624-6500 or mlaliberte@manchesternh.gov for more information about any of these events.

MANCHESTER (August 4, 2008) – “Today, I signed a two-year lease on a 2008 Ford Taurus four-door sedan, which will be the Mayor’s Office vehicle. The lease will cost city taxpayers no money because the monthly payments were generously waived by AutoFair Ford, ” Mayor Frank Guinta said.

“From 1999 until this year, this office had a Buick LeSabre, which was repaired at the Manchester Police Department’s vehicle pool garage. Earlier this year, it became apparent that continued use of that vehicle would cost taxpayers unnecessary amounts of money for upkeep. Therefore, my office made it a point to look at ways to spare taxpayers added expense. By getting the Taurus, I expect expenses to go down dramatically.

“This is a fuel-efficient American car, which was a high priority for me. The vehicle gets 29 miles per gallon on the highway; 21 in the city. This is a marked upgrade from the previous vehicle, which was specifically built as a police vehicle and was not as fuel-efficient.

“This is a public-private partnership that, I believe, we need to do more of in the city. I hope this sets a precedent for future Mayors in Manchester.”