City staff on Tuesday presented 60% design documents for a proposed new Concord Police Department headquarters at the Fort Bouton Street property and asked the City Council to schedule a public hearing on Nov. 10 so the council can consider appropriating construction funds.

Beth Fenstermacher, the city's director of special projects, led the presentation and said the a design-build timeline assumes construction could begin in spring 2026 and the department could move in by late 2027 if the council approves funding on the requested schedule. Fenstermacher said the project team has estimated a construction cost near $45.5 million for a roughly 70,000-square-foot facility that combines reuse of a mid-century modern building with a new two-story addition. "Our goal tonight is to talk you through the report," Fenstermacher told the council, "with the hope that a public hearing is set for November 10 meeting to appropriate construction funds to move forward with the schedule that we've outlined."

The design includes a secure vehicle sally port and garage space, victim and witness interview rooms, expanded evidence storage, a dedicated training/community room, staff wellness and locker spaces sized for gender inclusivity, and embedded social-service space for co-responder functions. Staff said code and resiliency requirements for a critical facility — including redundant electrical and mechanical systems for continuity — increased the project's footprint relative to earlier planning documents. The report notes the project team expects the new building to meet high-performance energy targets and that rooftop solar feasibility is being studied though rooftop area and equipment layout limit how much solar can be accommodated.

City project manager Matt Bolio and representatives from construction manager Milestone emphasized that delaying appropriation risks higher cost. Fenstermacher told the council that site contractors are booking into the following year and that each year of delay could add multiple millions of dollars to the price. Councilors voted to set the public hearing for Nov. 10.

The administration said the facility is intended as a long-term, multi-generational investment and highlighted collateral benefits: consolidating prosecution and some human-service offices currently leased off-campus, vacating leased space, and freeing the existing Green Street station for other municipal uses. The administration also noted the decision to retain and adaptively reuse the Fort Bouton building to preserve the mid-century modern structure adjacent to the historic district.

Next steps: staff will post the report and design materials to concordnh.gov/newpolicestation, complete permitting, and return to council at the Nov. 10 public hearing with final cost recommendations and the construction appropriation request.