Homeless Camp Cleanup Underway At Concord's Healy Memorial Park; Park To Reopen To The Public Soon

CONCORD, NH — It took a few years of chaos and crime, but the city of Concord is finally cleaning up and clearing out two massive homeless encampments in the southeastern side of the city.

This week, Trauma 24, the contracting company responsible for cleaning up the homeless camps on Storrs Street and Sexton Avenue, has been cleaning up William Healy Memorial Park. The park, which has been closed to the public for years, has been the site of several shootings, a machete attack, and other violence, fires, and stranded campers who needed to be rescued due to the flooding of the Merrimack River, as well as homeless camping debris, pollution, and who knows what else, flowing into the river.

Concord Police Chief Garrett Moulton said the team prepped on Monday, bringing dumpsters, and began clearing out and cleaning the park afterward. Homeless campers, he said, were given notice in July of the impending cleanup starting the first week of August, so they could remove their belongings. Anything left, the notices said, would be considered abandoned property and subject to disposal.

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“Some people were difficult,” Moulton said, “but we gave them six weeks of warnings.”

Two campers were cited on Aug. 8, accused of being in the park, according to the latest police blotter released this week.

New signage has also been installed, warning of ordinance violations if anyone is caught in the park after hours. City parks close at dusk, except for lit areas like basketball courts and the mini-pitch at Keach Park, which close later in the evening, or during special events, such as football games.

The $200,000 cleanup effort, approved by the Concord City Council during its fiscal year 2026 budget hearings, also includes a cleanup under the Water Street Bridge, which will be tackled by both Trauma 24 and CSX after Healy is done. That site, too, has been the scene of several fires and violence, including a shooting last month.

'Welcome To Hell': Crime, Chaos Underneath Water Street Bridge

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• Concord Homeless Camp Shooting Suspect Arrested; Has Prior Stabbing, Other Convictions
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Moulton said the railroad company has already begun preparing, bringing in dump trailers. The company will also be removing campers who have veered off into the sloped area behind several South Main Street businesses, which is property owned by CSX.

A tree removal company has been hired to clear lower brush, bittersweet, and other bushes and vines, improving sightlines in Healy Park and deterring campers from occupying the park. Once the work is completed, the park will reopen to the public. The parks and recreation department will treat the area regularly to prevent the brush from regrowing, he said.

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