Revere park, open space planning lands $30G state boost

REVERE – The city is getting $30,000 in state money to be spent on planning improvements and expansions to local parks and playgrounds.State officials distributed the money as part of a $9 million Gateway City Parks allocation aimed at urban open space projects across Massachusetts.”Through this program, our administration is partnering with cities across the Commonwealth to restore or create clean, safe places for children and families to enjoy and appreciate,” said Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, adding, “Redeveloping neighborhood parks can also trigger further urban redevelopment.”The grant award is well timed: The city has launched improvements to the Rumney Marsh Burial Ground, a historic neighborhood park and Revolutionary War era cemetery and Councilor at Large George Colella last month called for improvement to Oxford Park where the World War II sacrifices of local brothers Peter and Arthur DiStasio are memorialized.The city has targeted local parks for improvements on an individual basis during the last five years with Hill Park improvements undertaken in 2008. The work included repairs to the outfield fence and the tot lot, restoring the basketball and tennis courts and upgrading the bocce court.Workers also rebuilt a collapsed wall in the park and covered the softball field with loam and seed. Two dead trees were removed between the basketball courts and the outfield fence and the chain link fence surrounding the softball field needs its sections repaired or replaced.The ball court repairs included sealing cracks in the play surface and painting marker lines. The tot lot repairs included adding a safe surface under the play equipment.The city received $150,000 allocated by the state Legislature to fix up Hill Park after State Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein and Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo worked to secure state money to fix up Hill after responding to Hill neighbors’ complaints about vandalism in the park and its deteriorating condition.An Everett family in 2008 replaced a plaque in the park honoring Reinstein’s late father, former mayor and state legislator William Reinstein, after it was vandalized.