Officials say legislative parking garage will be erected quickly; occupancy targeted for March 17, 2026

Terry Poff, chief operating officer for the General Court of New Hampshire, told the Capital Budget and Capital Project Overview Committee that panels for the new legislative parking garage are under construction in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and erection on site is expected to begin in July or August.

Poff said the precast, prestressed concrete panels are being produced by a company in Pittsfield and that panel deliveries and on‑site assembly will rapidly change the current worksite. "You're gonna see from what it is now with the ramps and the walls to a complete garage within 3 or 4 weeks," Poff said. He added that the garage will not be functional until the planned occupancy date of March 17, 2026, when the state will take possession and seek occupancy permits.

The project is intended to create a secure facility with 409 parking spaces, Poff said. He described security cameras throughout the structure and an exterior repeater to improve campus communications. "It's on schedule. We've done our due diligence at every juncture," he said, while noting the team has undertaken extra engineering checks because of work near Burns Hospital.

Committee members asked about traffic and delivery logistics during panel deliveries. Poff said crews will install oil‑and‑water separators and utility vaults at the garage exit and that there will be short rolling closures of Capitol Street while tractor‑trailer deliveries are staged. He said some panels will be stored in South Concord, and crews will deliver what is needed each day.

Committee members also raised whether electric‑vehicle charging stations would be provided inside the secure facility for public use. Poff said the project includes conduits and electrical service pads sized to allow future installation, but no charging equipment has been installed and the general court will not be responsible for providing chargers. "We planned for a pad, and we planned for the infrastructure within the garage to be able to accommodate it at a future time if it's desired by future policymakers. But right now, there's no charging," he said, and added that curbside charging on adjacent streets would be a municipal decision.

Poff said the project team will deliver a construction schedule to committee members and that panels should begin arriving on site this summer.