DERRY, N.H. — A civil engineer by trade, Michael Fowler has spent more than 30 years working for and guiding municipalities, first as a project engineer in Seabrook and now as Derry’s newest town administrator.
Over the summer when incumbent David Caron announced his plans to retire as town administrator, Fowler knew, with his children going away to college in the fall, he was ready to take the next step in his career.
Though Caron’s tenure doesn’t end until June 30, Fowler was named Derry’s next town administrator by Town Council on Jan. 7. The pair will work together until Caron’s retirement while Fowler maintains his position as Director of the Department of Public Works.
“I am really grateful to have this opportunity to work with him,” Fowler said. “When you look ahead at the challenges for the Town of Derry, a lot of those are infrastructure improvements. I have been intimately involved in a lot of those projects and felt that I could really provide a lot of knowledge and leadership.”
As director of the DPW for the last 20 years, Fowler has gotten to know town residents, public officials, town staff and board members boards. With their help and continued dedication, Fowler’s biggest goals for the town are to build on the existing infrastructure and support development.
“Derry is a very desirable place for people to live. We have easy access to I-93, proximity to the mountains and the beaches and good jobs,” Fowler said. “We have the fourth largest population in New Hampshire and one of the things we’re in tune with is that this town has grown rapidly since the 1970s.”
Because of the growth, Fowler has to consider requests for school redistricting, the impact of Exit 4A construction on residents in the area of Folsom Road, additional polling locations to ease wait times during large-scale elections, housing access and affordability and town staffing.
“One of the biggest challenges is making sure we can provide infrastructure not only to support existing residents and businesses but also for future expansion,” he said. “Sound economic development plans are definitely something we want to support.”
Housing access, affordability
The town also has development underway in the southern part of the community on Rockingham Road, where there are apartment complexes under construction, Fowler said.
“One of the things that we need to be aware of is affordability throughout Southern New Hampshire. I’m always hearing a lot about what it costs to buy a house or to rent a property,” he said. “That is something regionally that I am going to be very involved in.”
Already, Fowler has been paying attention to state legislation and zoning laws that will support affordable, accessible housing for residents.
Just last month, Derry was named a state Housing Champion, in recognition of its continued commitment to affordable, accessible and sustainable development. The designation makes Derry eligible to apply for a $1.5 million Housing Infrastructure Municipal Grant and a $3.5 million Housing Production Municipal Grant.
These grants are designed to further support municipalities in developing housing solutions and advancing infrastructure critical to their communities.
“The best course we can take (to prepare for growth) is to make sure the intersections are working properly, the water systems provide enough water, the bridges and culverts are holding up, our roads are in good condition and our public safety is supported.”
Exit 4A Gateway District
When Fowler came to Derry in 2004, Exit 4A was nothing but a vision. In 2015, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation turned that vision into a reality when the commissioner pledged to fund the entirety of the design’s construction.
Now, Derry is beginning phase two of the project, which will see the construction of Exit 4A in the area of Folsom Road, Fowler said.
“From a community standpoint, there will certainly be some traffic along Folsom Road in the next three years as it will be an active construction zone,” he said. “That said, we are looking at this as roughly $80 million in infrastructure that’s being infused into Derry through roads, culverts and sidewalks.”
The town will be taking a supportive role on the project, which is being led by NHDOT. But when all is said and done, Fowler said the town’s infrastructure will be in better shape than ever before.
Rail Trail dispute
The town has a paved trail system that was acquired from the Boston and Maine Railroad, which runs from the Windham/Derry town line up to Folsom Road where Exit 4A will be.
But a gap of nearly 4,000 feet in the trail prevents bikers and pedestrians from traveling through Derry into Londonderry.
Despite the concerns of residents and rail trail advocates, the NHDOT decided to design a “spaghetti loop” for that portion of the trail to prevent flooding rather than build a tunnel under the existing roadway.
The NHDOT was sued as a result for failing to comply with federal laws protecting the Manchester & Lawrence Railroad Historic District and the Derry Rail Trail and the outcome of the lawsuit is still pending.
“This is still an outstanding question,” Fowler said, “What is planned at this point, barring an injunction, is that the spaghetti loop is going to be the final outcome of the project.”
Fowler said the town has taken a neutral stance on the decision.
More polling locations
The November presidential election was an unprecedented time in Derry and the existing polling location couldn’t handle the outpouring of voters that came with it.
“We used to have four based on the districts for various reasons but it’s difficult to get people to want to work and it was in our best interest to consolidate into one polling area,” Fowler said. “When we have a town election, the turnout is much less than what you’d see in November.”
In his role as town administrator, Fowler said it’s his job to listen to the criticism from residents and the discussions of town boards and committees around voting.
“It was definitely a challenge that has been cited and something that we have some time to look at,” Fowler said. “It’s certainly something the Town Council has on their agenda.”
Fowler shared additional concerns with town staffing as many long-tenured employees have retired or are are planning to. Each department has staff that is ready to take on and train new employees but filling those vacant positions might be difficult.
“I am really looking forward to meeting the Town Council’s goals, meeting the infrastructure needs and serving residents of this community,” Fowler said. “It’s a very fulfilling job and I get to see the fruits of long-term and short-term projects and the benefits they bring to the community.”