Massachusetts Avenue Park will be open in time for summer, and further improvements will begin this fall.
The improvements in the second phase of the project are expected to cost $350,000.
As part of the plan, the playground will be relocated to the back of the park. The main entrance will be reconstructed with an archway, a pavilion and a multi-purpose sports field. Additional landscaping and park benches are also included the plan.
Grass in the park has just been laid out, and once it starts to grow children can start enjoying the park through the summer.
“Phase one is what you see now,” said Whitney Yax, community organizer at People United for Sustainable Housing. “Phase two improvements will occur this fall after the summer opening.”
Neighbors worked hard with members of PUSH to get to this point. They developed a plan that would help give children a safe and enjoyable place close to home where they could have fun and interact with other children.
This dedication paid off last November, when West Side residents came together to celebrate the approval of funding for the new park.
Now, just months later, the once abandoned park on Massachusetts Avenue is already beginning to see a new light. By Ann Hendricks and Miranda Ruckdeschel
