Concord City Council Eyes Clubhouse, Police HQ Land Votes In December

CONCORD, NH — Next month, the Concord City Council will consider two major capital projects in one of its last votes before a new mayor and five new councilors are seated.

The councilors will consider borrowing $10,308,000 for a new clubhouse and parking lot for the Beaver Meadow Golf Course after several years of placement on the CIP and nearly four years of meetings and design review. Councilors will also consider spending $4,090,000 purchasing the Concord Group Insurance Building on Bouton and North State streets from the Duprey Companies for a future, new police station.

In a report to the mayor and councilors dated Nov. 3, Deputy City Manager-Finance Brian LeBrun said the golf clubhouse proposal would include $5.9 million for the building and another $1.5 million for the parking lot and site work. About $1.1 million would be set aside for construction fees and contingency, while $250,000 was budgeted for solar panels.

LeBrun said the city budgeted $100,000 in fiscal year 2019 to replace the facility's windows, doors, and restrooms, but the estimated costs were twice that. Another $130,000 was proposed. However, during budget discussions, the council rejected the funding and, instead, began the process of assessing the facility. An engineering firm proposed renovations of around $914,000 for windows, doors, restrooms, sewer line repairs, and repaved walkways and parking lot. Instead, the assessment committee proposed building an entirely new facility three years ago.

LeBrun said the city budgeted $490,000 to the capital budget for FY2023 for the design of a new facility, walkways, and parking lot, bringing the project total cost to around $10.8 million. In December 2022, Mayor Jim Bouley assembled an ad-hoc committee to work on the design that would last for the next five decades while also including other “community uses,” such as cross-country skiing, ice skating, simulators, and snowshoeing.

The New Hampshire Golf Association was expected to be a tenant at the facility — many state golf associations are housed on golf courses. However, the organization backed out of the plan in September, and a new, scaled-back design was put together.

LeBrun said several meetings were held about the project, including a visioning meeting, a community workshop, and building committee meetings.

After approval, if a bond sale were implemented in January 2025, the total cost to a property taxpayer with a $300,000 assessed home would be between $6 and $39, between FY2025 and FY2044.

Not as much planning has been done for the police station project, but it has been on the horizon for many years.

The Concord Group moved its operations to Bedford and the Duprey Companies have a purchase and sales agreement for the company’s property at 4 Bouton and 124 N. State streets. The building is on more than 2 acres of land with a nearly 39,000 square foot office building constructed in the late-1950s along with 113 parking spaces.

Matt Walsh, the Deputy City Manager-Development, said in addition to the building, the Concord Group also leases property in Concord from the Duprey Company.

“As part of negotiations to terminate said lease agreement, the Concord Group has offered the premises to the Duprey Company for the sum of $3.5 million,” Walsh wrote, about $150,000 above the property’s assessment value.

The Duprey Companies entered into a purchase and sales agreement with Concord Group for the building. The Duprey Companies (“or related entity”) will then flip it to the city and pick up $451,000 in “carrying costs.” Legal fees, transfer taxes, property taxes, title insurance, and a contingency fee, about $136,000, will be picked up by the city.

A price tag for a new police headquarters is unknown.

“Funding for future design and construction of the new police headquarters, as well as funds to study reuse and future renovation of the existing police facility at the City Hall campus, will be addressed as part of the preparation of the upcoming FY2025-2034 Capital Improvement Program, which will occur as part of the FY2025 Budget process,” Walsh said.

A two-thirds vote of those in attendance is needed for both proposals or 10 out of 15 councilors if there is total attendance.

During the 2023 municipal campaign, the proposal for a new golf clubhouse was an issue raised by the candidates, both pro and con. Some are demanding the clubhouse proposal be put on hold, even though it is unknown whether there are votes for a nearly $11 million facility. Even if approved in December, a future majority vote of a new council could rescind the project.

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