The city will begin holding public meetings next month to solicit input into the re-design of two heavily used Dorchester parks. Mayor Walsh’s administration has budgeted more than $8.3 million for improvements to Garvey Playground in Neponset and McConnell Playground in Savin Hill.
Construction work will not likely begin in earnest until next year, but officials from the city’s Parks and Recreation Department have begun assessments to refine the scope of work.
The Garvey on Neponset Avenue will see an investment of $5 million, according to Christopher Cook, the commissioner of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. Other than an existing outdoor street hockey court— which was upgraded in the last two years and is not likely to be re-located— everything about the park’s layout and design is “on the table,” Cook said.
Engineers are now conducting a survey of the 5.27-acre site with an eye toward determining the park’s precise boundaries. The park is unique in that it shares space with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), which operates a busy ice skating facility— the Devine Rink— immediately adjacent to it. The skating rink facility has bathrooms and is next to a city-owned structure that also houses bathrooms and storage space.
“We are going to itemize things with DCR and in a community meeting go over what are their challenges and opportunities with this park and make sure there’s a cohesive, unified park experience at Garvey,” said Cook.
Cook said that the city wants to hear community ideas on whether lighting should be installed at the Garvey, a popular year-round destination for adult and youth sports programs, from softball and baseball to flag football. The park does not have permanent light fixtures, although temporary lighting has been brought in for special events, including night games for the Greater Neponset Flag Football League.
Cook said that another decision needs to be made about the existing concrete seating area that sits along Neponset Avenue. The crumbling rows are not well used and take up space that might otherwise be used for recreation or a new site for a play area, for example.
One goal of the project, Cook said, is to discourage the chronic, after-hours misuse of the park, which has long been a destination for underage drinking. Improved lighting is one factor that could help mitigate that problem, according to city officials. “The survey is being done right now and it will give us a precise idea of who owns what and who should own what,” he said.
McConnell Park— sometimes called Savin Hill Playground— will see an estimated $3.6 million in improvements under the current city budget. The 6.2-acre space is located just steps from Savin Hill beach and is heavily used by Savin Hill Little League and other youth-oriented programs.
The new investments comes as the city prepares to celebrate the re-openings of two other Dorchester parks that have undergone extensive renovations in recent months. Roberts Playground on Dunbar Avenue is ready for use and a springtime dedication following a $1.51 million project that focused on new play equipment. And work is nearing completion at the Adams/King Playground at 470 Adams St., where a $468,000 investment has resulted in a new multi-use court, playground, trees, and walking paths.
