n Earth Day Community Conversation will be held Monday, April 21 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the City Wide Community Center, 14 Canterbury Road. Various Concord Departments and Committees will provide updates on sustainability and clean energy initiatives, including the siting of significant solar projects within the City. There will be opportunities for citizen community input and comment, and guest speakers will include Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander.
Coffee with the Mayor in Penacook
The next Coffee with the Mayor is scheduled from 9:00 – 10:00 am Saturday, April 19, at the Exit 17 Market Basket Cafe in Penacook. It's a great opportunity to speak directly to the Mayor about city issues.
Summer Concert Series funding for Canal St Riverfront Park
Funding from the Walker Lecture Series for the City's Free Summer Concert Series specifically adds $2,000 for concerts in Penacook this summer at the new Canal Street Riverfront Park. We're hoping for an early summer official grand opening of the park. More to come soon.
Rolfe Park safety/traffic meeting follow-up
Thanks also to everyone who attended the Rolfe Park safety and traffic meeting on March 11. Notes are available here: https://concordnh.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=14014971&GUID=50C4A213-3E94-4E34-ADF4-F557D298555F. The notes were referred by Council last night to the City's Traffic Operations Committee for further discussion of the traffic concerns listed. Police officers have been conducting directed patrols in and around Community Drive, and data collected on the speed/driving observed by the officers will be shared with the Committee.
Neighbors who observe unsafe driving behaviors can provide both the license plate number and a description of the vehicle to Police, who will follow up based on that information.
Riverside Park meeting
Thank you to everyone who participated in the April 10 meeting regarding Riverside Park. You provided insightful and helpful information and opinions. Next steps include the consultant GPI incorporating your recommendations into a revised plan, which will be presented during another public meeting to be held later this year.
FY2026 Budget Hearings scheduled
The schedule was accepted for public meetings regarding the Fiscal Year 2026 budget. Meetings will be held at 5:30 pm in Council Chambers, 37 Green Street, on the following dates:
May 19 (discussing Police, Fire, General Services, General Government)
May 22 (Library, Parks & Rec, Human Services, CIP projects, TIF Districts)
June 2 (Special Revenue Funds, such as Airport, Parking, Arena, Golf Course; and Enterprise Funds, water and wastewater)
June 5 to vote on approval
The draft budget will be released May 9.
Memorial Day parade
The PVA Events Committee is planning the fourth annual Memorial Day Parade in Penacook, which will take place on Sunday, May 25, at 10:00 a.m.
Local businesses and organizations, including school clubs, are invited to participate and march in the parade. If you want to march with us, please email Cindi Jacques at nhfairgirl18@gmail.com.
If you're interested in volunteering to assist either in planning the parade or with the many tasks needed on the day of the parade, please attend any of our organizational meetings at the Penacook Elementary School Media Center, 60 Village Street:
Wednesday, April 16, at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 30, at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 14, at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 21, at 6:00 p.m.
If you cannot attend any of the meetings but still want to help, please contact Cindi Jacques at nhfairgirl18@gmail.com. There is always plenty to do, and we can use your help!
Walker Lecture concerts at Canal Street Riverfront Park
The City successfully received a grant from the Walker Lecture fund to enable concerts at our Canal Street Riverfront Park. More details to follow, including the announcement of the official grand opening of the park.
Riverside Park information meeting
The City will be hosting a public information meeting on Thursday, April 10, at 6:00 pm regarding plans to renovate Riverside Park on Tanner Street (behind Strings and Things); we'll meet at the Penacook Elementary School cafeteria, 60 Village Street. GPI, the consultant assisting with this project, also designed our new Canal Street Riverfront Park. At this meeting, we'll get an assessment of current park conditions and possibilities for added amenities. This is your chance to give input on preliminary design concepts.
Outline for Riverside Park in Penacook, NH.
Townhall with Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander
Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander is hosting a Community Conversation in Concord this Wednesday, March 19th. Maggie will open with brief remarks and take questions from constituents.
Concord High School Auditorium
170 Warren Street
Concord, NH 03301
Doors open at 4:00 pm
Event starts at 4:30 pm
Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please RSVP using the link here. If you need ADA accommodations, please indicate using the RSVP link or email Maggie Goodlander’s team at Team.Goodlander@mail.house.gov.
Inaugural stroll of Canal Street Riverfront Park
In December, Beth Fenstermacher, Concord City Director of Special Projects and Strategic Initiatives, and Bob White, GPI Canal Street Riverfront Park Landscape Architect, led a tour of the Canal Street Riverfront Park.
The tour provides information about the thought process that went into selecting materials for park amenities and how that interweaves with the history of the area. GPI construction engineering, who provided the design, is also working on the rejuvenation of our Riverside Park on Tanner St. More to come on that soon, along with information on the official opening of Canal Street Park and upcoming concerts and events.
Meeting about safety at Rolfe Park and area
A community meeting has been set for Tuesday, March 11 at 6:00 pm in the Merrimack Valley High School auditorium to discuss Rolfe Park and the surrounding area as shown on this map:
Representatives from Concord's Parks & Recreation Department and the Concord Police Department will be there to hear from you about safety and traffic issues in this area. If you can't attend, you can send your thoughts to recreation@concordnh.gov.
Updates from the 2024 PVA Annual Meeting
We had a great conversation at our November 18 meeting, with guest speakers NH Senator-elect Tara Reardon and NH Representative-elect Jim Snodgrass, and Representative Connie Lane. You can watch the video here. Our guests begin speaking at 9:35 in the video, starting with Tara Reardon.
Thank you to ConcordTV for the video.
Winter Parking Bans
Can you believe winter weather has already arrived? With the white stuff [snow], come the occasional parking bans.
Sign up for winter parking ban alerts at www.concordnh.gov/notifyme or by downloading the MyConcordNH app. Winter parking bans require all vehicles to be removed from indicated streets between midnight and 7:00 am for snow removal operations.
Free parking is available in Penacook at the Canal Street Municipal Parking Lot (Canal & Village Streets) and the Tanner Street Municipal Parking Lot (next to the Riverside Park). Learn more about the City’s winter operations at www.concordnh.gov/winteroperations.
Bulk leaf collection
Bulk Leaf Collection has been paused temporarily, as equipment and crews have switched over to snow removal and plowing. As weather permits, crews anticipate resuming Bulk Leaf Collection this week.
Bagged Leaf Collection has ended, but the Fort Eddy Road Reprocessing Center will be open by appointment only for the winter season.
More information, maps, and FAQs about Fall Leaf Collection are here: www.concordnh.gov/leafcollection.
Penacook Tree Lighting
Thanks to everyone for coming out for our 19th Annual Penacook Tree Lighting event. The tree and our downtown look great! Here is the video. Thank you for ConcordTV.
Wreaths Across America events, Saturday, December 14
The wreaths for the Wreaths Across America event on Saturday, December 14 have arrived. The event is an opportunity to honor our Veterans, past and present. Ceremonies will take place around the city on Saturday morning, including at Woodlawn Cemetery, 130 Village Street, at 10:30 am, and at Horse Hill / River Hill Cemetery, Horse Hill Road and Elm Street, at 11:30 am.
Tour of Canal Street Riverfront Park, Monday December 16, noon
An inaugural stroll/tour of our new Canal Street Riverfront Park will take place at noon on Monday, December 16. Stop by for a preview look!
The fencing will be coming down sometime next week, as construction wraps up for this season, to be continued in the spring. City Council has just approved changes to the parking regulations around the new park, allowing for 10 hour parking at the 19 spaces in the new parking lot and at the 30 spaces on Canal Street. Council also approved a CAT bus stop at the park.
New Penacook Library & Activity Center open
The Penacook Library and Activities Center opened on Thursday December 5.
Branch library hours will be:
Mondays 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Thursdays 1:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Fridays 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Additionally, there will be Seniors Programming hours:
Tuesdays 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Wednesdays 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Thursdays 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
The space will be used for Library events, and by the Parks & Recreation Department for additional events, including SPARC (Sports, Play, Arts, Recreation & CommUNITY Club) program activities. The space will be available for other community uses and rentals soon.
Concord Parks & Recreation senior programming at the Center begins on Tuesday December 17. Hours will be:
Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Thursdays 9:00 am to noon.
The old Penacook Library on Merrimack Street closed on Monday, November 18. A project to collect Library memories has begun. If you have photos, stories, or thoughts you'd like to share, please send them to santhony@concordnh.gov.
If you missed the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the City has made a video available.
Canal Street Riverfront Park update
Work progresses on the Penacook Canal Street Riverfront Park. Although the official opening will be this Spring, construction fencing will be removed later this month [December], allowing access to the park and its walkways. Please feel free to visit the park once the barriers are down! Park walkway paving has been completed, along with fencing and railings along the riverfront and laying sod for the grassed areas. There will be some blockades placed requesting foot traffic stay off of the newly planted and seeded areas. “Canoe” style benches are expected to be installed before the winter, as well as construction of the framework for the entrance sign and interpretive signs. Signage is currently in design and expected to be installed in the spring, with other final touches (bus shelter, bike racks).