The first shovels have gone into the ground for the long-planned Merrimack River Greenway Trail as part of improvements to Terrill Park.
The Concord Parks and Recreation Department held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday at the 21-acre park on the east bank of the Merrimack River near Exit 13 of Interstate 93, known among other things as a great place to get a scenic photo of the State House dome amid the trees.
Plans are to build a paved section of the Merrimack River Greenway Trail, to move the dog park so that it can provide separate areas for large dogs and small dogs, plus create a 19-car parking lot.
The work, slated to be done by mid-July, has a budget of $389,750 with $100,000 coming from a land and conservation grant, more than $62,000 from the Friends of the Merrimack River Greenway Trail, $12,750 from the Rotary Club of Concord, and $215,000 from the city of Concord.
Due to the onsite work, the park and the dog park will be closed as of Monday, June 15.
Eventual plans for the park include a turf field for sports as large as 360 feet by 260 feet, to handle soccer and lacrosse. That will cost a couple million dollars and is not yet scheduled.
The walking trail is planned to be part of a series of hiking and biking loops accessible to downtown, including the long-sought Greenway Trail along the river.
“Friends of the Merrimack River Greenway Trail was formed in November 2011 with the single purpose of building the Merrimack River Greenway Trail,” said Friends of Merrimack River Greenway Trail President Dick Lemieux during Monday’s ceremony. “So, the fact that we are here today, less than nine years later, launching the first construction project is a pretty remarkable testimony to the city council’s confidence.”
More information about the project is available online at: https://www.concordnh.gov/1464/Terrill-Park-Project.
(David Brooks can be reached at 369-3313 or dbrooks@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @GraniteGeek.)
