By Cary Shuman
The City Council unanimously approved an order to borrow $1.2 million to renovate Fuller Street Park, whose official name is the Corporal Arthur Nelson Play Lot.
Ward 3 Councilor Anthony DiPierro said he was pleased to see the park, located at the corner of Fuller and Lynn Streets, receive the much-needed renovations.
“The children and families of North Everett have long awaited the refurbishment of the CPL Arthur Nelson Play Lot,” said DiPierro. “I want to express my gratitude to former Mayor DeMaria and his administration for seeing the design through and to Mayor Van Campen for continuing the project. I hope the work can commence as soon as the weather breaks and I look forward to the transformation of the Fuller Street Play Lot.”
Council President Stephanie Smith said after the vote, “I know the residents of Fuller Street will be very excited.”
Action postponed on
Chelsea Street park project
The Council decided to postpone action on borrowing $1.3 million for renovation plans for Chelsea Street Park until the March 23 meeting. The park overlooks Everett Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Ward 6 Councilor Peter Pietrantonio accurately noted at the beginning of the discussion that the Council was waiting “a park [design] plan from the DPW [Department of Public Works].”
Councilor-at-Large Wayne Matewsky said the project was submitted in 2025 and plans call for “landscaping, a bocce court, and there’s even a fountain element to this.”
“This is a new type of park, it’s not a tot lot anymore,” added Matewsky. “It’s for people of any age. Right now, the park is a mess. I was there for the grand opening of Chelsea Street Park under Mayor David Ragucci. It’s a nice neighborhood. As a longtime councilman from Ward 1, I support this project. This is really going to be something nice and really enhance that neighborhood.”
Ward 1 Councilor Michele Capone said, “I used to take my children to that park. And it was beautiful a long time ago, and it was clean and it was a beautiful location because it overlooked the stadium, and I’m a big supporter of keeping the stadium where it is. Over the years, it has declined and it has been a dog park, and it hasn’t been maintained. I’m glad we still have the park there. I am in favor of the project. I know the numbers seem expensive, but as a parent and as someone who lives in that neighborhood, parents don’t have a lot of options of where they can take their children to play.”
Councilor-at-Large Katy Rogers expressed her support for the project, stating, “We do need to invest in the infrastructure of our parks.”
“But I also think it would be reasonable to postpone this piece only because we did ask for a review of the plan,” added Rogers.
“For what we are getting (25 new amenities to the park), this is definitely a worthwhile investment because it’s going to be an entirely new and better park than it ever was, even a long time ago in its glory.”