The response from most people who have gone down to the former GE site on Air Force Road to see the new playing fields and park that are nearly completed is: Is that the new Stadium?
No, in fact, it’s just the new practice field.
Encore Boston Harbor officials are preparing to release a new turf field, a street hockey rink, a basketball court, a major playground/splashpad and a new RiverWalk path to the City – with the hope that residents and children will be able to use it this summer.
“This was a very good project and we were very excited to do it for the City as a replacement for Lynde Park,” said Chris Gordon of Wynn Design and Development. “It’s coming along really well and we think the residents of Everett will get great use out of it, and in a place that was inaccessible to them for decades.”
Two weeks ago, representatives for Encore were at the Planning Board to create new lot lines for the property as they begin the process of transferring it over to the City.
There are still some questions about the sign-offs from GE for the Activity Use Limitation designation, but many expect that to come in line.
Encore representatives told the Planning Board they hope to have the new park open and accessible to residents before the end of the summer.
One of the more astounding features is the practice field, which looks like a game field. The field is lined with ‘Everett’ in both end zones and can be used for football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and any other field sport. Beside it are new basketball courts and a state-of-the-art street hockey rink.
All are part of the replacement for Lynde Park, which was located in Lower Broadway and taken by the casino for construction parking.
The new park also unlocks the waterfront of the Malden River to residents for the first time in likely a century, allowing residents to walk along the river, and creating another piece of the Malden River Greenway – a piece that many hope will be connected up and down the River in the near future.