MEDFORD — A renovation of Harris Park has been in the works for much of the past year and residents of that neighborhood between Fellsway West and Wellington Circle got an unexpected Christmas gift.
The project got a major boost when the Medford Community Preservation Committee voted at its last meeting to match a federal grant and make Harris Park’s renovation its first funded project with $300,000 designated for the plan.
The matching will now spur the city to pursue the renovation plan and accept a $300,000 federal Land and Water grant to help pay for the project, according to Roberta Cameron, committee president.
Cameron said that the committee considered an application from the Medford Office of Community Development (OCD) requesting an allocation for the project, which will include the replacement and addition of new play equipment, including a nature play area and water play area. The plan also calls for a community garden; more parking and “other improvements that will provide greater accessibility and recreational opportunities for residents of all ages,” Cameron said.
The project has a total cost of $817,000 and the matching $300,000 grant now leaves about $217,000 for the city of Medford to fund if the federal grant, as expected, is accepted.
“The park improvements will provide Medford’s first natural play space and add the first community gardens and water play area to the eastern side of the city,” Cameron said in a statement.
“The project clearly aligns with CPA purposes and the goals and priorities outlined in the Community Preservation Plan,” Cameron said. “It improves access and increases the range of recreational opportunities available to Medford residents.”
The committee president said the OCD application was “off-cycle,” which means the CPA funding was designated outside of designated funding cycle round. The Medford CPA committee is still accepting applications for first-round funding, with the deadline for submitting applications Friday, January 5. Medford has approximately $1.2 million in available CPA funds for the first round, less the $300,000 for the Harris Park project.
Future considerations for Harris Park improvements could possibly be for the athletic fields or the addition of more field space, Cameron said.
Cameron said the Community Preservation Committee has already received CPA funding eligibility form submissions from the Medford Housing Authority, Medford Historical Society and Medford Brooks Estate Land Trust.
