Have you ever hung out at Terrill Park? That’s that “park” off Manchester Street, right across from Carlson’s Motor Sales. Yes, that big, unkempt, vacant dirt lot is actually part of a park, though you’d probably never know it from looking at it.
If you’ve ever been to this park at all, it’s probably been with your dog – Terrill Park is home to the city’s only official dog park. Apart from that, though, there’s not much in the way of amenities at this park, which is a shame considering it’s right on the Merrimack River and can provide some spectacular views across the water.
But, there’s hope. This park could some day end up being one of Concord’s finest, if all goes according to plan.
Last year, city council approved a new master plan for the park. The plan calls for a major overhaul of this mostly neglected parcel tucked between two busy roads and a river, including, most notably, an artificial turf, multipurpose athletic field. It would represent the first and only outdoor artificial turf field in the city for public use.
The plan also calls for adding a playground, more parking, a concession stand with bathrooms, an upgrade to the existing upper parking lot and clearing some brush to open up sight lines across the water.
On a related but separate note, there are also plans to go ahead with the Merrimack River Greenway Trail, a proposal that envisions a paved walking trail all along the shore of the river. The trail would begin at Terrill Park.
“The Greenway folks asked city council to partner with the city to build the first part of the trail per the master plan of Terrill Park,” said David Gill, director of Concord Parks and Recreation. “Then make improvements to the upper parking lot and possibly move the dog park over. They asked for the Greenway Trail to work with city administration to come back with a formal plan, money in hand, and say this is what we need and this is doable, so they’re still doing that internal review now. Hopefully within the next month or two they can come to city council.”
In other words, all of these grand plans, at this stage, are still just grand plans. While they have gotten far enough into the process to come up with a detailed rendering of how the revamped space would look, there are still some legislative hurdles to clear before any of these visions can become reality.
“It is not a definite,” Gill said. “Everything is pending council authorization and potential funding for the master plan to take shape. We still have to approve money for it.”
That, of course, is always the trickiest part. While he couldn’t give us an exact number, Gill said the project will cost in the ballpark of $2 million, maybe a little more. That’s a lot of money around here. At the same time, this would not be some throw-away project, either.
“It’s definitely an underdeveloped resource for the community,” Gill said. “Right now, that’s just not-used space,” he said of the big dirt lot directly across from the car dealership. In the new master plan, that vacant, bumpy dirt lot would be replaced with the brand-new turf field.
Adding a playground would also add value to the park – Gill said there are several hundred homes and families in the area that includes Manchester Street, Airport Road and Old Turnpike Road, and that area currently has no playgrounds for young kids. Adding that feature to Terrill Park would go a long way for the families who live in that part of the city.
While the headline-grabbing elements of this plan – the turf field, the playground, concession stand – may still be a little ways away from becoming reality, some of the other pieces are a bit closer. In fact, Gill said there’s a chance that a good chunk of this project could get underway some time in the relatively near future.
“It could be a nice partnership to have the Greenway Trail built and the parking lot built – that probably could be built sometime this calendar year if approved,” Gill said. “Doing that would support the new master plan for Terrill Park, so even if the final decision is not made to do the turf field, the Greenway piece could be built and the parking lot and the dog park.”
Adding an artificial turf field would be a big boost to the city. For one, turf fields can be plowed in the winter, meaning you can get a few more weeks out of any sport season if all it means is running a little plow over the field. It would also just add another facility where games and/or practices for a multitude of sports could be held.
Another big factor is the potential for more income for the city. With a large, high-end artificial turf field in the city, it could be rented out by teams for practices or games – Gill said the hope would be that the field would be rented out a good portion of the time. It also wouldn’t hurt if motorists coming up or down Interstate 93 glanced over and saw a brand-new, rich green multisport field instead of a gray, muddy lot with nothing going on.
The wheels will keep turning on these plans, so stay tuned. And if you really want to see these things happen, slip the city a couple million to get the ball rolling.
To view the Terrill Park master plan, go to concordnh.gov/1464/Terrill-Park-Project.
April 13, 2019
What about partnering with some of the local Capital Area Business and also form a non-profit to fund raise so its less of a tax hit for tax payers?
All the improvements in Concord area great but the funds come out of local property owners. Our taxes are high and continue to increase each year.