top of page
Search

🛹Wolf Park (and Skate Park) Update: A Project Marked by Poor Prioritization, Disorganization, and Growing Costs Without a Clear Funding Plan

ree

Over the last couple weeks, I have continued to dig into the Wolfe Park project so residents can get a better understanding of the scope and cost of this project. I want to thank Kate Waldo, Project Manager with the Parks and Recreation Department, for her timely and detailed responses. Her professionalism helped clarify what is documented and what is still missing.

🤝Community meetings and what was promised

 

Despite that sequence, a full final plan and comprehensive cost breakdown has not been presented to the full Board or the public.

🎯 Project Timeline, Phases, and Funding Status

According to documents provided by the Parks and Recreation Department, the Wolfe Park project spans FY 25 – FY 29 and is divided into four major phases. However, the sequence of work has already changed: Phase 1 was split into 1A and 1B due to partial funding, placing the project out of order from the City’s original plan.

 

⚾ Phase 1A – Softball Field Improvements (North Side of Harvell Street)

Funding: $175 000 grant + $325 000 bond ( $500 000 total )


Scope: Demolish concrete bleachers and press box; remove pavement; disconnect utilities; tree removal; relocate the infield 10 ft; add under-drains and drainage controls; replace fencing; construct a new ADA-accessible restroom and utility building with water-bottle station; install accessible sidewalks from Harvell Street; landscape and seed; prepare construction documents for all later phases.


Status: Engineering and design documents in progress; no physical construction yet.

 

💵 Funding Reality Check for Phase 1A

The City reports $500,000 for Phase 1A, yet comparable public-works pricing shows that even a modest field rebuild with drainage, utilities, and an ADA restroom typically costs $600,000 – $900,000 and can exceed $1 million.


This allocation likely covers only engineering and limited preparatory work, not the full list of 18 tasks in the master plan.

 

If additional bonds are needed, that should be made clear. Under § 39.06 (B) funds must be available before award, and § 39.05 (A) prohibits subdividing procurements to avoid oversight.


Taxpayers deserve to know whether this phase is fully funded or whether more borrowing is already expected.

🛹Phase 1B – Skate Park and Central Parking Lot (Proposed Mid-FY26)

Funding: No secured funding to date.


Scope: Demolish the concession building and baseball fields; construct a 20 000 sq ft skate park and central parking lot; install storm-water systems and CPTED-compliant lighting and electrical work.


Status: Conceptual design complete. Only the skate park component was sent to the CIP Committee to finalize bonding details (estimated $2.5 million construction cost and about $5.5 million after 20-year bonding with interest).

🎾Phase 2 – Pickleball Courts, Loop Path, and Playground Extension (Suggested FY28)

Funding: None allocated.


Scope: Eight pickleball courts; ½-mile solar-lit loop path and memorial garden (Lally-Sullivan monument); traffic-calming bump-outs and sidewalk improvements; repaving and lighting of the northeast parking lot; drainage improvements; renovation of field-house restrooms; and an extension of the new playground built in 2024.


Status: Unfunded and unscheduled.

🏀 Phase 3 – Basketball Lighting and Park Enhancements (Suggested FY29)

Funding: None allocated.


Scope: Basketball lighting and electrical upgrades; playground expansion with open space and picnic tables; Little League field improvements; bocce, cornhole, and horseshoe area; resurfaced parking lots; and a new park archway.


Status: Unfunded and unscheduled.

💰 Overall Funding Overview

  • FY 25: $100 000 bond for master plan and skate-park design.

  • FY 26: $175 000 grant + $325 000 bond for Phase 1A.

  • Phase 1B: No secured funding; Skate Park portion sent to CIP committee for bonding details.

  • Initial total project estimate: $5,017,950 (excluding architecture, utilities, inflation, and bonding costs).

🛝The New Playground and Why It Matters

Parks & Rec announced construction of a new playground on Sept 30 2024, celebrating its grand opening Oct 16, weeks before the first “master-plan” meeting.


The master plan lists a “playground extension” under Phase 2, meaning the 2024 playground was a separate project completed first, and the new plan now seeks to expand it again.


This sequencing raises questions about prioritization and whether work is being subdivided in ways that obscure total costs.


The procurement code forbids such subdivision (§ 39.05 A) and requires full solicitation records (§ 39.05 Q).

🏟️A Cost Comparison That Puts Things in Perspective

When the City helped fund replacement of the Fisher Cats outfield at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (Ink Link, Aug 8 2025), the turf-only project cost about $400,000, half paid by the team and reserve funds, half by the City.


That project involved no demolition, new buildings, or ADA work. By contrast, Wolfe Park Phase 1A includes full demolition, drainage, a restroom building, and sidewalks.


If a re-sod alone cost $400,000, it strains credibility that the City can rebuild an entire softball complex for $500,000.


The math simply does not add up, reinforcing the need for a transparent, itemized budget before more bonds are issued.

⚠️ Unclear RFP Timeline and Contracting Questions

The Parks Department states that four RFPs were received for the skate park design. Yet Nor’east Skateparks was first suggested publicly by a meeting attendee on Nov 4, 2024, and was the selected firm by Nov 20, 2024, a 16-day window.

 

Under §39.09 B (1)–(7), professional-services RFPs over $25,000 require at least ten business days of public notice, plus time to receive and evaluate proposals and negotiate fees. Completing all of that within 16 days is unrealistic unless the firm was already identified before the community process or a special procurement (§39.13) was invoked. The code also requires a complete contract file (§39.05 Q) detailing issuance dates, bidders, evaluations, and award rationale. Those records should be released so the public can see how Nor’east was selected so quickly.

📍Final Plans Still Not Shared

At the February 19, 2025 meeting, Parks staff said the revised design would “become part of the budget process” for the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (Ink Link, Feb 20, 2025).To date, the full Board has not seen that presentation or a comprehensive budget.

🤑What This Means for Taxpayers

Residents attended meetings and were told the process would be transparent. We still lack a complete plan, final cost, or funding schedule. The project is already out of sequence, with growing expenses and no confirmed funding plan.


Manchester cannot afford to move forward this way.


Before authorizing more debt, the City should present a full public cost breakdown, bonding impact, and realistic funding strategy.


We should look to public-private partnerships like the Wolfe Park basketball-court renovation and Concord’s community-funded skate park before burdening taxpayers with decades of debt.

🗳️ Your Vote for Ward 9 Alderman: Guided by Values. Focused on Outcomes.

As your candidate for Alderman in Ward 9, I pledge to be a voice for its residents and not a political rubber stamp. My approach is rooted in three core values: collaboration, transparency, and accountability.


We must demand better fiscal oversight. We do not need representatives who fail to ask appropriate questions and push back against wasteful spending. Projects like Wolfe Park demonstrate the consequences of poor oversight and a lack of fiscal discipline, resulting in confusion and shifting costs. I will ensure our tax dollars are respected and every project is held to the highest standards.


When you head to the polls on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, the choice is clear: elect a representative Guided by Values. Focused on Outcomes.

 
 
 

Comments

© 2025 Troy Micklon for Alderman, Ward 9 - All Rights Reserved.

Paid for by "Friends of Troy Micklon"

bottom of page