Portsmouth City Council is being asked to put another $50,000 toward the Mound Park playground on Monday, September 28. And if recent discussions about city spending are any indication, some residents will have the same question they ask whenever a new project comes up:
What about Walnut Street?
This time, there’s an answer. Work on Walnut Street was scheduled to begin this week, and City Manager Sam Sutherland is also asking council to accept $1.5 million in federal funding for the road project.
Both requests are on the agenda for Monday’s city manager’s conference. Here’s what the city is asking for—and what the money would pay for.
Another $50,000 for the Mound Park Playground
The Hilltop Initiative has spent years raising money to replace the aging playground at Mound Park. The group has secured $650,000 for new playground equipment, and council previously approved another $100,000 to help pay for a rubberized safety surface.
Now the city manager is requesting an additional $50,000 from the city’s Capital Improvement Fund for site work and concrete needed to complete the project.
That would bring the city’s additional appropriations described in these requests to $150,000, on top of the $650,000 raised by the Hilltop Initiative.
The new request is not another $50,000 to purchase playground equipment. According to Sutherland’s memo, the extra money is needed after a review of the project’s funding and construction needs.
The rubberized surface is also part of the plan to make the playground accessible to children of different abilities.
Why Has the Playground Taken So Long?
Mound Park is not an ordinary construction site. It sits on a prehistoric Native American earthwork, so the playground project required an archaeological survey before work could move forward.
During that survey, archaeologists discovered a shallow burn pit associated with food preparation. The planned playground location was moved to protect the find.
That meant the Hilltop Initiative had to work around both the park’s history and the practical needs of building a modern playground.
The group’s fundraising effort has included a $200,000 ARPA grant awarded in 2024, along with support from donors, businesses, foundations, and community volunteers.
So, What About Walnut Street?
Walnut Street is finally getting attention, too.
The city announced that its Walnut Street Resurfacing Project would begin Tuesday, September 22, with Allard Excavation serving as contractor. The initial work area is between Norfolk and Buch streets, where residents have been told not to park in the construction zone. Work was scheduled to begin on the south side of the street.
What Is the $1.5 Million for?
Sutherland is asking council to authorize acceptance of $1.5 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through its Community Project Funding program.
His request calls for the money to be placed in the city’s Engineering Street Resurfacing Capital Improvement Fund for the Walnut Street Rehabilitation Project.
He is also asking council to waive the usual three readings of the legislation.
That means Monday’s request is about accepting and appropriating federal money for Walnut Street, not taking $1.5 million out of the city’s playground budget.
Why Spend Money on the Park While the Roads Need Work?
The two items involve different projects and funding requests.
The proposed $50,000 for Mound Park would come from the city’s Capital Improvement Fund and be assigned to playground improvements. It would cover site work and concrete needed to finish a project for which the Hilltop Initiative has already raised substantial funding.
The $1.5 million for Walnut Street is federal Community Project Funding designated in the city manager’s request for the road rehabilitation project.
So the choices before council are not simply “playground or road.” Members are being asked to consider additional city money for Mound Park and acceptance of federal money for Walnut Street.
That does not mean residents cannot question either project’s cost or timeline. It does mean that rejecting the playground request would not, by itself, redirect the federal Walnut Street funding—or make the road repairs happen faster.
What Happens Monday?
Council will be asked to consider legislation for both requests at its September 28 meeting.
For Mound Park, the question is whether to appropriate another $50,000 for the work needed to finish the playground.
For Walnut Street, the question is whether to accept and appropriate $1.5 million in federal funding for rehabilitation of a road residents have been asking the city to fix.
