About 30 residents of the Lynchville/Danis Park neighborhood of Goffstown gave state and local officials a guided tour of their problems on Saturday, Dec. 16.

State Sen. Lou D’Allesandro was among several political figures to join residents on a guided site walk of the neighborhood. Spotty roads and visibly polluted drinking water were among the evidence for the poor standards of living in the area.

“We’ve been hearing for years and years that improvements are on the way,” said resident Brian Evans. He spoke while the tour passed a section of Sonny Avenue riddled with cracks and potholes, the pavement partly washed away by water flow.

Poor road and drainage conditions, along with lack of public water and sewer infrastructure, constitute the four major problems plaguing the neighborhood, Evans said.

A recent estimate by Director of Public Works Carl Quiram put the cost of an overall neighborhood improvement at $11.7 million.

Quiram has advised selectmen to fund the project through bond authorization, which he said would increase the project’s chances in grant applications.

Selectmen scaled down the proposal on their meeting of Monday, Dec. 18, opting instead for a $2.5 million bond to cover a connection to the Manchester water lines abutting their neighborhood.

Officials say they expect state and federal funding to cover the costs of some improvements.

Bruce Hunter, a state representative and town selectman, said he had sponsored bills in the Legislature for water and sewer improvements for the neighborhood. Hunter said he planned to withdraw the sewer bill after selectmen decided to concentrate on the water improvements.

Martha Fournier, a resident who helped organize the site walk, said such events bring the neighborhood’s problems to the attention of local officials.

“I think it’s important for public officials to see the conditions first hand, so they can understand the improvements that need to be made,” Fournier said.

The evidence offered was sometimes vivid. One resident’s display of his household water surprised officials, though it was a familiar sight to some of his neighbors.

“This is what came out of my tap this morning,” said Tom Gurski, holding up a jar of swampy water from the faucet at his home at 32 Bay St. Gurski said he attributed the poor water quality to the neighborhood’s close proximity to the Piscataquog River, the high water level and the density of wells and septic systems in the neighborhood. “We are essentially at water level,” Gurski said. “During the spring you’re never more than a couple of shovels away from the water table.”

Gurski said estimates put the cost of a new well for his home at $8,000, while a new septic system carried a $15,500 price tag.

When D’Allesandro asked how long homeowners have been asking for water and sewer improvements to the area, residents told him the first letter on the subject had been sent to Manchester Water Works in 1967.

The problems of the neighborhood took a pointed turn following the Mother’s Day floods earlier this year. Dozens of residents were evacuated from their homes, and most say they’re continuing the repair process to this day.

Nancy Congdon, a threeyear resident of Sonny Avenue, said she bought her home partly on a real estate agent’s assurance that water and septic infrastructure was coming to the neighborhood.

Following the Mother’s Day floods, Congdon said she had to replace all the items that were on the first floor of her house, including appliances and flooring, as well as plumbing and a washer and dryer.

To this day, Congdon said she cannot live in her house because the water has tested high for E-coli levels. She dug two wells since the floods but they continue to fail water tests, so she has been living with relatives since the flooding.

Resident Deb Gaudette continues to live in a recreational vehicle as she awaits funding to move a modular home onto a foundation already in place. She said she spent $83,000 of her $90,000 flood insurance policy to demolish her old home, remove the debris and build the new foundation.

Gaudette said she expects to rely on grants and other funding for the remainder of her repairs.

“This has been an adventure,” Gaudette said. “Most of my days have been spent on the phone, being put on hold or nagging people. But I’m not the only person who’s having problems; this has affected everyone. We’re all in survival mode, and people are starting to feel despair.”