Just in time for opening day for Everett Little League on Saturday, April 27th, the City of Everett recently completed the construction of a new concession stand at Sacramone Park. The new concession stand was part of a $3.5 million renovation of the Village neighborhood park that included two new playing fields, a basketball court, tot-lot, splash pad, and bocce court.
Mayor DeMaria has made quality of life for Everett residents a cornerstone for his administration by renovating or reconstructing a majority of parks in the city and expanding green spaces, such as the harborwalk, Rivergreen Park, and the Malden River Walk.
At Sacramone Park the city’s Facilities Department replaced the old, rundown stand with state of the art amenities, storage space for youth organizations, tiled bathrooms, and a kitchen that other cities and towns should be jealous of.
Mayor DeMaria stated, “I want to commend the city’s Facilities, Wire, and Planning Departments. This project was done below budget and completed by in-house staff. It is important to continue to implement this type of work rather than using outside vendors in order to save our taxpayers money. I want to thank all the departments involved for their creative design for the use of this space.”
The concession stand renovation project has received the support and praise of other local officials and youth organizations. The DeMaria administration has been able to fund robust renovation projects through cost management strategies. If contracted out, the project would have cost the city nearly $100,000 more.
Once the budget had been established, the Mayor and the Facilities Maintenance Department continually analyzed the function of materials, systems, processes, and building equipment for the purpose of achieving required functions at the lowest total cost.
As part of a long-term budgetary strategy, the Mayor restructured the Facilities Maintenance Department in 2016, which has saved the City thousands of dollars by completing projects in-house. The city has completed the renovation of the Recreation Center, the temporary Hancock Fire Station, the Connolly Center, and the gazebo at Glenwood Cemetery as well as other projects throughout the city.
The Mayor has lowered expenses by approaching cost savings as a core element at the project’s start and effectively implementing it into his administration’s culture.