LYNN – The City Council, Tuesday, voted to authorize Mayor Jared Nicholson to seek a $350,000 grant for the restoration of the Lynn Commons Historic Fountain Plaza.
With the approval, the city can apply for a Parklands Acquisition and Renovations for Communities (PARC) grant, which is administered through the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
The city has allocated $500,000 to cover the project’s entire cost, and the grant would reimburse 70 percent of it.
“Lynn Commons is a treasured community wide asset and the improvements to this recreational area are a city priority, as evidenced by the most recent Open Space and Recreation Plan,” the resolution that the council passed stated.
The fountain, which is about 10 feet tall by 10 feet wide, has been inoperable for more than a decade. The original fountain was designed in 1895, and the current black fountain was added to the park in 1987.
“Through this grant application and the allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, the city of Lynn hopes to bring the fountain back online and to renovate the plaza to further establish the concept of the place that is the Lynn Commons and to diversify the park’s cultural landscape,” the resolution stated.
The overall restoration of Lynn Commons has been ongoing for about 10 years and has been done in phases as grant money has become available.
The Lynn Commons Bandstand underwent a $900,000 restoration in 2014 as part of the project.
Other phases included $400,000 for work on the small Common, $850,000 for work on the west end, and $400,000 for the middle portion of the Common.
