Lynn playground rebirth part of citywide park fixup

LYNN – Tucked behind Sisson School with a sweeping view of Reinfuss Field, the Magnolia Avenue Playground tennis courts sat idle and rundown for more than 10 years before a city renovation campaign refurbished the two courts with bright blue paint, new nets and shiny fence surrounding them.”This is a long time coming for a lot of people,” said Ward 1 City Councilor Wayne Lozzi as he toured the refurbished courts Thursday with Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy.A $4 million city spending program launched in 2013 breathed new life into the Magnolia courts and other neglected or deteriorating parks and playgrounds across the city. The renovation work is about half done and Kennedy said parks across the city will be outfitted with new court surfaces, play equipment and other improvements by late summer 2015.”Every neighborhood in the city will be touched by that work,” Kennedy said.Lozzi said the Magnolia courts are an important part of the park bordering Sisson and Pickering Middle School and Reinfuss with its corner play area and youth sports field stretching up to Broadway.Kennedy said local playgrounds serve as backyards for residents across the city who do not have lawns. Organized lunch, even breakfast programs, operate in parks during the summer and they attract organized and pickup sports teams.She said national focus on increased exercise means the city must invest in playground and play field improvements.”Parks are heavily used and homes to many, many leagues,” she said.City Community Development Director James Marsh said work paid for with the park improvement money included big parks including Flax Pond, McManus Field and Lynn Commons; medium-sized playgrounds like Magnolia Avenue and smaller parks including Sagamore Street playground.”The mayor and the City Council made parks a priority,” Marsh said.