As the director of public works in Bedford, Concord city councilor Jeff Foote has overseen multiple athletic field construction projects and thinks it’s time for the capital city to have one, if not two, artificial turf fields.
Foote, a member of the Joint Memorial Field Planning Committee, said artificial turf fields would increase the availability of Concord’s athletic facilities for the long term. He estimates the usage of each field would increase from a few hundred hours per year on grass to four to five thousand on turf.
“That solves a lot of problems, both for the high school, for those who recreate there, and also as part of the middle school efforts,” he said. “We need to be very diligent in how we approach the construction of that so we can relieve some of the issues that will occur as improvements are made to Rundlett Middle School.”
The committee plans to present options for the first phase of the Memorial Field plans to the City Council and school board in a few months.
Committee members, including school board members Jim Richards and Barbara Higgins and city councilors Nathan Fennessy and Foote, have met three times to develop a plan for the area, which serves as the hub for city athletics.
Much of the discussion has involved expanding the parking area, safety and accessibility of the area, assuming that the renovations would allow for larger events.
They are exploring multiple options they hope will allow a smooth construction process and long-term viability. One of those is using a parcel of state-owned land to the west of Memorial Field that would alleviate parking, eliminate the need to rent nearby lots for overflow during events, and act as a staging area during construction.
For now, the committee is still hammering out the details of the first phase of the project, which would involve a new track, a multipurpose field within it, drainage improvements and parking. The drainage issues at Memorial Field are among of the most pressing for both long-term viability and day-to-day use. Before the other renovations are done, the groundwork, literally and figuratively, must be laid down.
The city and school district, which plan to share the cost of the project that could be as much as $20 million, depending on options, is working with VHB, a consulting firm, to shape a cohesive plan. Ensuring that the needs of all the different sports are met, committee members hope to get more accurate cost estimates.
“I’d be hoping that for us to get information back from the engineering firm, as far as the drainage and what that would be in the cost of doing that drainage and then just getting some more feedback from from them, and then to be able to define more concretely or more accurately, the phases and the costs of the phases,” Richards said.
At the latest meeting, on April 22, the committee agreed to present a joint recommendation back to the district and city within two to three months. The construction of a new middle school and the loss of athletic field acreage due to its development will impact the timeline of the Memorial Field project, as the loss of both spaces would limit sports team access for Concord High and Rundlett Middle School.
The Committee will meet next on Tuesday, May 20th, and it will be at either City Hall or the City Wide Community Center on Canterbury Rd. The meetings are open, and members of the public can attend to provide input or insights into what should be considered for the phases of the project.
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