Last Chance To Comment On Concord’s $155M Budget, New Golf Clubhouse Proposal

CONCORD, NH — Four public hearings will be held on Thursday night concerning the city’s $155 million fiscal year 2026 budget.

Since May 15, City Manager Tom Aspell has outlined the budget plan during several finance committee meetings. The finance committee consists of city council members. Along with an operating budget, the city will also consider more than $31 million in capital projects.

Mayor Byron Champlin, who is in his second year as mayor, and was a ward and at-large city councilor before that, said he thought this year’s presentation and hearings were a “positive process.” He commended many residents for attending and sharing their thoughts about the city’s expenses.

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Dozens of residents, too, he said, had submitted emails and letters to the council about some of the items in the budget.

Clean Up Coming To Healy Memorial Park?

Despite not supporting taxpayer funds for a cleanup of Healy Memorial Park in his original budget recommendations, Aspell has pivoted slightly and devised a plan.

Initially, staff recommended spending $205,000 to clean up the park, clear out the underbrush to ensure the public and officials can see into the wooded area, and money for signage along the trail, explaining the park rules, including no camping. Aspell, though, proposed spending $0. According to the new plan, $125,000 for the effort will come from money left over from a housing champion reserve fund, about $1.1 million the city received from the state after allowing affordable housing to be built. Enforcement of city ordinances will also be stepped up.

Champlin said, while he would like to see the money go into housing, he supported the idea. He called the clean-up “necessary” and said he had heard from many constituents concerned about the chaos in the park.

During the past few years, there have been several shootings and at least three violent assaults, one with a machete. There have also been many fires. The rising Merrimack River has entrapped campers. It is only a matter of time before someone dies there.

The river has also carried away debris and trash from the park — violating federal and state environmental pollution laws. Debris, tents, generators, and other items also block the wheelchair access ramp, a federal ADA violation. Even though the park is technically closed to the public, no one from the city has enforced the trespassing and camping, which is not allowed, even though there are violations galore. Compare that to a code enforcement officer eager to take down Republican candidate political signs on private property and even recently ordered a local church to remove a temporary lighted sign, on a trailer, on private property, promoting a food drive because there was no permit.

The actions or lack of actions by the city gave many the viewpoint homeless campers, on public property in violation of city ordinances, were OK, but promoting conservative political candidates and Christians helping the poor, again, on private property, were not.

The New Golf Course Clubhouse

One hot topic this budget season is replacing the Beaver Meadow Golf Course clubhouse.

The project has been put on hold for nearly 18 months. But recently, Aspell devised a new plan for a scaled-back project at more than half the cost of the original plan. But even at $5.8 million, the plan has its critics.

Ward 2 City Councilor Michele Horne sent out a last-minute email to her mailing list questioning the vote on Thursday.

In the nearly 3,000 words, she challenged some of the information she had received about the project, insinuated the city was not being transparent, and was surprised at the pay scales for golf club employees, noting none of them had maintenance as part of their job description. It should be noted, this appeared to be the first time the councilor has mentioned anything about any city employee’s pay scale or job responsibility during her time on the board, while also not challenging the pay or job descriptions of dozens and dozens of other city employees who are paid just as much or even more.

Horne also suggested, while it was OK to have the advisory committee's makeup be golfers, another committee should look at the entire property, including conservation and winter operations “folks.”

Ward 5 City Councilor Stacey Brown has also been critical of the project and has spent months needling city officials, often repeatedly asking the same questions.

After hearing about some of the requests forwarded later to the entire council, Patch made a public records request for Brown’s emails about the project during the past three years. The file was more than 135 megabytes and contained 2,400 pages of requested information. Deputy City Manager-Finance Brian LeBrun answered her questions several times by saying, “response in previous email” or something similar.

On her blog, Brown was critical of the “new, larger golf clubhouse” project, saying there had been no public or committee input in creating the revised plans despite spending the last two years criticizing the golf committee and previous plans, which were much larger. She and others have also framed their criticism by stating the project was 20 or 40 percent of the entire CIP without explaining to the public it is a commitment across 20 years of less than $500,000 annually — not unlike most capital projects that are multiple millions of dollars.

In her quest for information, Brown requested private information about golf course membership a couple of years ago after being denied access to private information about city councilors who had library cards.

In a bike app post, Ward 5 City Councilor Stacey Brown reportedly claimed there was not a golf tournament being held at Beaver Meadow when there actually was one, according to Friends of the Beav. Credit: Screenshot by Patch Contributor.

Recently, she posted a note on social media claiming she was at the golf course when a tournament was scheduled but claimed it did not exist. The Friends of the Beav Facebook site posted a note countering her claim, posting the brackets from the tourney.

“Here is the proof that that’s just, yet again, negative propaganda and using negative click bait that is unfactual and untrue for attention,” the post stated. “Great matches and some exceptional play today at one of NH’s most beloved.”

Champlin thought the scaled-down version of the clubhouse was the best option so far and answered many of the council’s concerns. An inadequate or inferior facility, he said, would not bring in the revenue needed to keep the course running or pay for the project. Champlin said the new clubhouse would also guarantee a positive experience for golfers and the public.

The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, at the City Council Chambers at 37 Green St. After the finance committee adjourns, the city council will be called to order and hold the public hearings.

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