$13M in Portsmouth projects: Prescott Park, South Mill Pond playground, turf field, more

PORTSMOUTH — The City Council recently voted to approve the issuance of $12.9 million in bonds to pay for a series of city projects.

The bond issue includes $4.5 million for work at the city-owned Prescott Park, $3 million to add a second turf field near the city-owned Community Campus, $1 million for Fleet Street utility upgrades and streetscape improvements and $600,000 to upgrade the South Mill Pond playground.

The bond issuance vote also includes $400,000 for a new sidewalk along Greenleaf Avenue, $500,000 for utility and streetscape improvements to the city’s Creek neighborhood — from Dennett Street to North Mill Pond to Bartlett Street — and $500,000 for conservation land acquisition, according to city documents.

The council voted at a recent meeting 8-0 to approve the bond issuance, with City Councilor John Tabor recusing himself from the vote because he is chairman of the Prescott Park Art Festival’s board of directors.

Department of Public Works Director Peter Rice said the Prescott Park monies will be used “to protect the historic buildings, as well as provide drainage in the Water Street area, as well as to the performance lawn area.”

Protecting history in the park

Rice told the council the plan includes trying to raise the historic Shaw Warehouse in Prescott Park, while “also looking at the Players’ Ring (theater) building.”

“They’re both historic buildings and they both need to be protected (from flooding damage)," Rice said. “So, the intent would be to use those monies to protect those structures, (and) improve the drainage in the area, as well as Water Street.”

Reached Tuesday, Rice confirmed that all the projects included in the bond issuance vote will have different timetables.

“Now that we have the bond authorization, we need to regroup on the park,” he said about the “flood protection work” planned for Prescott Park.

“We need to identify who we’re going to work with and get somebody on board,” Rice added.

Second turf field

Rice said the new $3 million turf field will be located next to the existing field.

He noted the original proposal that was approved calls for eventually building three new multi-use fields.

Rice estimated the second turf field — which will include a softball field — will be put out for bid in November with construction beginning in spring 2025.

The total bond issuance also included $500,000 for land acquisition.

Conservation money

The city’s Capital Improvement Plan explains the monies will be used for “the purchase of land that has been determined should be protected for conservation and recreation.”

“Ownership is usually sought to secure environmentally sensitive areas to purchase the development rights to a particular parcel, or for some municipal use,” according to the CIP.

Peter Britz, the city’s director of planning and sustainability, said the $500,000 will be used as part of the city’s Conservation Fund.

The monies will keep “that fund funded so we have the ability” to act quickly if needed to buy land for conservation, Britz told the council during its meeting earlier this month.

Britz noted that because of the “situation in Portsmouth, we have to be ready to acquire properties when they came up.”

“Properties … they go so fast in Portsmouth,” he added.

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Deputy City Attorney Suzanne Woodland explained that the monies are used for “land acquisition for conservation purposes.”

“While we don’t have a particular property in mind, there are some ongoing discussions, and we’re always looking for conservation property to acquire within the city of Portsmouth,” she told the council.

More Portsmouth project highlights

Monies that are included in the bond issuance authorization include:

• $600,000 for the South Mill Pond Playground. The city’s CIP states the project includes replacing the existing playground “with a new, universal design ADA compliant, age-friendly, inclusive playground,” along with new restroom facilities.
• $400,000 for the Greenleaf Avenue sidewalk, which was requested by the residents of the Hillside Drive neighborhood, following the installation of a fence which limited access to South Street.
• $1 million for Fleet Street upgrades, which will include a sewer separation projects, featuring water, sewer and drainage upgrades “along with full streetscape rework and other pedestrian enhancements,” according to the CIP.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: $13M in Portsmouth projects: Prescott Park, South Mill Pond playground, turf field, more