City and school leaders agreed to spend $142,000 on Monday night to study the conditions of Memorial Field and create a Park Master Plan for future renovations. 

Since its initial construction in 1926, the Memorial Field Complex has grown in size from a small park with various athletic fields to a complex that now includes softball fields, multipurpose soccer/lacrosse fields, ten tennis courts, two basketball courts, walking paths, a little league field and a small maintenance building with public bathrooms, according to city documents. 

In addition to supporting community youth and adult sports leagues and special events, the athletic field complex is used by the Concord School District, which agreed to foot $70,900 of the cost, while the city will contribute the remaining $71,100. The analysis will take around 10 months to complete. 

Over the last 10 years, the city has invested almost $800,000 to improve the tennis courts and baseball field press box and for an engineering study for the baseball and football field bleachers. In the years ahead, the complex will require significant investment to improve the drainage of the entire site, install new bathrooms, construct a new maintenance building, improve general field conditions, replace the bleachers for the football field, renovate the baseball bleachers, upgrade field lighting and fully renovating the track. 

Many in the athletic community have asked the city to invest in an artificial turf field at the complex.

The eventual improvements could cost up to $5 million or more depending on the outcome of the study and final approval of the scope of work.

“The city is long overdue for a lot of love and I think this is one of those investments we will make in the city that will be seen for generation after generation,” said Mayor Jim Bouley. 

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