First renovated areas at Memorial Field not expected to be ready until fall 2028

What happens next at Memorial Field may come down to a list of needs versus wants.

The original proposal to renovate Concord’s athletic facilities would have cost $31.7 million across two phases of construction, with $1.5 million for design.

With the construction of a new middle school underway and deficiencies at the track at Memorial Field, the committee in charge of redesigning the area wants to accelerate the timetable.

“We’re trying to figure out what you all need to move forward, because we have urgency,” said school board member Madeleine Mineau. “We have facilities that are not functioning, and as a result, we are burdening our staff and our athletes with trying to figure out being bused all over the place.”

The group unanimously agreed that the site’s drainage work has to be done, accessibility has to be improved, a new track and field must be built, and a new multi-purpose field, tentatively artificial turf, must go in.

The original scope of the project included many things that will now be put aside. No new locker rooms, no new concessions or bathrooms and a significant downsizing of bleacher space.

Artificial turf was recommended by City Councilor Jeff Foote to increase usage hours for both the school and community.

The football field, located in the lower left of the North-South oriented rendering, would have large bleachers, while the track and multi-purpose field would not.

The school board has already committed $600,000, 50% of the design and permitting phase. The city is expected to match this amount in the upcoming budget. Once funding is finalized, design and permitting will take roughly 12 months. Parks and Recreation Director David Gill estimated that the earliest some of the multi-purpose fields and the track would be ready was the fall of 2028.

Committee members were eager to get the city and school district “talking” about the cost to taxpayers and using a data-driven approach for the funding of the full scope of the project.

“I think that it’s the staff that’s going to be able to really hash that out and then bring something to the council to say, this is, this is what we believe is fair,” said school board member Cara Meeker.

The proposed changes to the master plan will be sent back to the designer and builders, Huntress Associates and VHB.

Sometime this month, the committee will meet again at the Concord Community Center to go over the revised plan in a public session. Cost estimates for the downsized project will be provided then, as well.

Memorial Field