Moving Somerville forward: investing in our parks

On March 31, 2008, in Uncategorized, by The News Staff

By Joseph A. Curtatone

Joe(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

Winter is finally over and spring is promising warmer weather around the corner.  I, for one, can’t wait to get outside and enjoy the city’s parks with my family. And this spring and summer our Parks and Open Space Department will be drafting an Open Space and Recreation Plan that details the city’s goals for the renovation and expansion of our parks and open space during the next five years.

Somerville is the most densely populated community in New England and only 4.7 percent of our city is open space. Of this 4.7 percent more than half is maintained and operated by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. The combination of these factors means we have had to be creative in finding ways to increase our green space and renovate and improve our existing parks. And we have been. The last three years have seen the renovation or creation of eleven parks and community gardens throughout our city including last year’s opening of the renovated Perry Park and several community gardens.

The new Open Space and Recreation Plan will serve as a comprehensive vision for the future of our parks and open space.  It will include goals for renovating and expanding existing parks as well as identifying and acquiring new land to be used as open space. It will also outline our goals for increasing handicap access and building ‚Äúgreener,‚Äù more sustainable parks.  The plan will be submitted to the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and will be reviewed whenever we apply for state grants.  Our current plan was reviewed by the state when we applied for, and received, funding for the future park on the Kemp Nut site, the Allen and Durell community gardens and several projects on or around Trum Field.

Our new Open Space and Recreation Plan will take into consideration every resource available to expand our open space in the coming years and I want to thank our most valuable resource: the residents of Somerville. Without the dedication and hard work of the community we would not have had so much success expanding our green space. 

Somerville is home to a diverse and dynamic community and our parks and open space must reflect that diversity. It is essential that the community guides the city’s vision for the future of our parks. That is why the Parks and Open Space Department is holding a series of meetings across the city to educate residents about the plan, to solicit feedback on the future of our open space and, finally, to review the eventual draft plan.  The first meeting was held in March and two more will be held this spring and summer.  Additionally, by mid-April residents will have the option of completing an open-space focused online survey on the City of Somerville’s website. The results of the survey will be discussed during the subsequent community meetings.

Finally, we recognize that it is not enough simply to renovate our parks, playgrounds, and gardens. We must also maintain them. To that end, I have charged my Department of Public Works commissioner with developing a clear protocol for preventative care so that our new, first-class parks remain in tip-top shape across the seasons.

Open space is essential to the health and well-being of everyone who works, lives and plays in Somerville. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a vibrant, dedicated community with a shared vision of moving our city forward. I want to encourage everyone to take the online parks survey when it becomes available in April and I look forward to reading the results and hearing from residents at the upcoming community meetings.

 

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