Penacook residents oppose city-school district split on Memorial Field funding

A growing number of Penacook residents want nothing to do with Concord’s $31 million Memorial Field renovation project.

A petition started in December requests that the Concord School District pay the full cost for all improvements at Memorial Field, sparing residents in the Merrimack Valley School District from any costs.

The funding for the project is currently proposed to be a fifty-fifty split between the Concord School District and the city of Concord, where Penacook residents pay municipal taxes.

The petition, created by Devin Rodrique, Jesse Wheeler Russel, Jackie Cournoyer Brochu, Faith Wilson and Mark Wilson, had received close to 500 signatures by the end of the week.

“Not only will these residents be expected to pay MVSD taxes, they also will be forced to pay towards the tax burden of this $31,724,807 improvement to the athletic facilities used by Concord School District,” the petition reads. “We feel that this is one of the most prominent inequities facing MVSD today.”

The discussions around revamping the city-owned field have swirled for years — the facility suffers from poor drainage, aging bleachers, and a crumbling track.

After a year-long proposal development process by the Joint Memorial Field Planning Committee in 2025, the city and school district agreed to split the planning costs fifty-fifty, totaling $641,900 between 2024 and 2025.

Recent Memorial Field news

Concord’s 2027 Capital Improvement Project shows a $11.7 million project to be paid half by the city, half by the school district, according to the most recent report to the mayor and city council.

This split is at the core of an issue that has raised tensions between those who pay higher school tax rates in Merrimack Valley compared to those in the Concord school district.

Those living in Penacook paid a total of $30.74 per thousand dollars of assessed value in taxes in 2025, compared to $29.11 by residents in Concord.

“We need to have a larger conversation about what having two school districts looks like in this city, and solutions that are equitable for Penacook residents,” said Jessica Wheeler Russel, who serves on the MVSD school board, speaking in her capacity as a resident.

She believes that the Concord School District deserves good athletic facilities, but doesn’t think Merrimack Valley taxpayers should have to shoulder that burden.

She and other residents feel Penacook’s requests for things such as more pedestrian safety and sidewalks have been dismissed by the city in favor of things like the Memorial Field project.

“The city’s job should be to be conscious of the tax base, and that does mean understanding that there are two school districts within this city that are honestly being pitted against each other,” she added.

The Concord school district is currently facing a $17 million shortfall, due in large part to a reduction in state education funding. Its plan so far includes cuts to spending on technology and furniture, pauses on raises for central office administrators and eliminating positions. This spring, voters in the Merrimack Valley School District approved a 3.4% increase to their school budget.

“This project is catered to the wants of CSD,” the petition reads. “CSD is the same school district that is currently grappling with a $17,000,000 budget shortfall and considering laying off 40 people.”

When Rolfe Park’s track was resurfaced, it was fully funded by the Merrimack Valley school district despite the facility’s nearly fifty-fifty split between city-owned and school-owned land, according to Fred Reagan, Merrimack Valley’s director of operations and maintenance.

That’s a sticking point for Devin Rodrique, one of the petitioners.

“MVSD does not represent a majority of the permitted use of Rolfe Park. MVSD also pays $182,000 roughly per year toward the upkeep of their own athletic facilities,” Rodrique said. “Plus, Penacook residents are already contributing toward Memorial Field athletic facilities upkeep every year for the city portion of their taxes.”

City Councilor Brent Todd, who represents Ward 1, said he understands the plight of his constituents.

However, after reviewing the usage data for Memorial Field he doesn’t agree that Concord School District should have to pay for the entirety of the project, but he said he sees room for compromise.

A proposal for a higher percentage of the cost to be covered by the Concord School District seems reasonable, he said.

“I think we’re all interested in trying to find the most equitable or the easiest way to be able to divide this project up in a logical way but make it as painless as possible on the taxpayers in terms of the bonding that’s going to be required,” Todd said.

He warned of the dangers of asking for the Concord School District to pay for the entirety of the project, because in turn, his constituents wouldn’t want to cover the entirety of the cost for municipal projects in Penacook.

“Let’s find a balance that we think is equitable, and then we could try to promote and work toward that, achieving that balance,” he added.

Rodrique suggested Concord school officials explore grants or public-private partnerships that are seen elsewhere in the state. Nashua received $500,000 for the naming rights to Stellos Stadium, and Laconia received $250,000 for the naming rights to their new stadium from Bank of New Hampshire in 2013.

Amid the turmoil, the conditions at Memorial Field are getting worse. A study by the Turner Group found the bleachers at Memorial Field to be deficient in many areas and non-ADA compliant. The city was presented with a proposal to remove them for a total cost of $385,000.

Rodrique posted an update on the petition’s site opposing city funding for the removal of bleachers. The City Council will address bleacher removal on April 13, during its regular monthly meeting.

Those who have signed the petition focused on their growing tax burden.

“We can barely afford our tax bill as it is. Any increase removes food off my family’s table,” a Ward 1 resident wrote. “Not a joke. Many of in this school district are NOT rich and are barely scraping by financially. Doing this would be an unnecessary burden for my family and many in Ward 1.“

The post Penacook residents oppose city-school district split on Memorial Field funding appeared first on Concord Monitor.