By Cary Shuman
After a presentation by Planning and Community Development Director Matt Lattanzi and much discussion, the City Council voted to postpone action on Mayor Carlo DeMaria’s request to appropriate $945,000 to renovate Chelsea Street Park.
The park is located across the street from the Edward G. Connolly Center, 90 Chelsea St.
Lattanzi said the park is currently being used as a dog park “as a very temporary solution.”
“This is very much focused on a multi-generational recreation, leisure, and play,” began Lattanzi. “It is right across the street from the Connolly Center and abuts the [Everett] Stadium. We didn’t want to build just a tot lot. We wanted something to be multi-generational geared for multiple levels of physical ability. There will be some fitness equipment in there for folks who have limited mobility. There are still areas for dogs.”
Lattanzi said the $945,000 in funds is not only for the purchase of equipment and its installation. “We have to do a lot of site work. There’s drainage work and there’s obviously the actual installation, construction, and labor costs.”
Ward 4 Councilor Holly Garcia, who had attended a community meeting about the park, asked if the City intends to expand the park beyond its current dimensions.
“It would expand very slightly toward the hill [part of the Stadium]. Where the biggest expansion is at the elm tree – right now it’s a rectangular park,” responded Lattanzi.
Ward 5 Councilor Robert Van Campen asked Lattanzi, “How confident are you that when you are 100 per cent final design, you are going to be under the $945,000?”
“I think at the moment I got 90 per cent design document, if I received $945,000 right then and there, I would say with 100 certainty,” said Lattanzi. “Given that these were submitted in March of this year, all of the pricing was based on a 2024 model. There is a strong likelihood that it could come in excess of that.”
Councillor-at-Large Guerline Alcy Jabouin questioned Lattanzi about “the urgency of this park when we have other parks that are in line to be done.”
“I’m not against [renovating] our parks. I think that’s part of education in our city, but I will not be voting for this because I believe that there are other parks in line that have been waiting for years to be done,” said Alcy Jabouin.
Ward 1 Councilor Wayne Matewsky noted that it had been several years since the park was last renovated.
Councilor-at-Large Katy Rogers said, “Even though under $1 million is very reasonable and I do like the plan for this, my recommendation would be delay this until I see some kind of action on the Central Avenue Park because there are kids playing in there, and it’s not safe. I don’t think we should be allocating more funds when [Central Avenue Park] hasn’t seen any action yet.”
Councilor-at-Large Stephanie Smith said “this is my neighborhood park.”
“I live the closest out of any city councilor to the park. I go by this park every day. I actually think it [$945,000] is a reasonable amount, buy I echo some of my colleagues’ points – there’s Fuller Street Park, there’s Maddy English, there’s Lafayette, there’s Central Avenue – there’s all these parks that we’ve already appropriated money for – but I am disappointed in the timing of this being that we have so many other parks on the list that need to get done at the same time,” said Smith.
In the end, the Council voted by an 8-3 margin to approve Councilor Rogers’ motion to postpone action on the $945,000 appropriation.