LYNN — The City and St. Mary’s Lynn are entering into a public-private partnership that aims to renovate the General Electric Athletic Association (GEAA) recreation complex on Summer Street to serve the needs of the City and the school.
A preliminary concept plan has been developed and the next step is to complete the design and obtain the necessary permits. That is expected to take approximately two years, according to Aaron Clausen, principal planning director for the City. The cost for design, engineering, and permitting work will be approximately $385,000, with the City and St. Mary’s equally sharing the cost.
St. Mary’s has obtained a gift from the Eastern Bank Foundation and Gerondelis Foundation to cover its portion, while the City is using grant funding. St. Mary’s has committed to leading the philanthropic efforts to fund the project, which would upgrade the existing park area into a flood-resilient recreational facility.
“We are excited to enter into this partnership with St. Mary’s that will provide enhanced recreational opportunities for residents and field availability for their students,” Mayor Jared C. Nicholson said. “This will give us another high-quality park in West Lynn, after the rehabilitation of McManus Field at Lynn Tech last year.”
Several years ago, GEAA transferred the remaining ownership of the land to the City, while maintaining some use rights. The fields, basketball courts, and other amenities have long been in disrepair, offering very limited use or benefit to the community. The property is located in the flood plain, further complicating availability, field maintenance, and future reconstruction of the park. The City has been working over the past several years to study and develop a park redesign that is more resilient to flooding and better meets the community’s needs.
LYNN— Through the partnership with St. Mary’s, the redeveloped park will include softball and multi-use synthetic turf fields, 60-meter sprint track, basketball court, horseshoe pits, walking path, comfort station, scoreboard, fencing, and lighting. Construction is estimated to begin in the spring of 2028.
During the school year, St. Mary’s athletic teams would have preference that will be agreed upon in a memorandum of understanding with the City. The community will benefit from a modern recreational complex with facilities that are not currently at the site.
“This project is a win-win for St. Mary’s and the City,” said Head of School Dr. John F. Dolan. “The opportunity to centralize our outdoor practices is very beneficial to our school community, and access to the facility is a great addition for the entire Lynn community. We appreciate Mayor Nicholson’s leadership and value our partnership with the City.”
Built more than 100 years ago, GE Field hosted the first organized professional night baseball game on June 24, 1927, when the Lynn Papooses defeated the Salem Witches, 7-2, in a New England League exhibition game. The field was illuminated by six banks of lights constructed by GE and drew a crowd of more than 5,000.
More information on the project can be found at lynnincommon.com/geaa
