Mayor Carlo DeMaria and the Office of Planning and Development are pleased to report that the City has finalized the redesign and renovation of Jacob Scharf Park, often referred to as Florence Street Park. The project will go out to bid this week and construction is anticipated to begin this fall.
Funding for the redevelopment of the park will come from both The Massachusetts Executive Office for Energy and Environment Affairs, which granted the City $200,000 towards the renovation, and $400,000 of Community Development Block Grant Funding (CDBG).
The park will benefit from restructuring, upgrades, and additional features for children and families. Some of the highlights of the playground design include a state of the art water spray park, picnic area, refurbished tot-lot, a newly added playground for older children, additional swings, and the relocation of the swing set to a shadier area of the playground.
The playing field will also be renovated with the improvement of the baseball field, the addition of terraced lawn seating along the Florence Street wall, and the incorporation of a concession stand plaza, exercise equipment area, public lawn and garden space, and a dog park.
The Florence Street Park project is another example of Mayor DeMaria’s ongoing initiative for renovation, development, and asset preservation within the City, as indicated in the recently submitted FY15 Capital Improvement Plan. One of the Mayor’s goals is to keep all recreational areas and green spaces current, safe, and well maintained in order to retain our City’s value.