Eleanor Dash
Thanks to the Community Preservation Act (CPA), Payson Park is finally getting a makeover with improved safety, accessibility features and a brand new playground.
The estimated $1 million project is funded through the CPA, a pool of tax money devoted to outdoor recreation, affordable housing, and preservation. The revitalization is a partnership between the Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Recreation Department. While the park is currently under construction, it is expected to be completed by this fall, weather dependent, according to DPW Director and Project Chair Jay Marcotte.
“It’s a bit of a bummer this summer, but we are happy to sacrifice a few months of not having a close park to having a better park,” said Payson Park neighbor Audrey Miller, mother of two young boys who frequent the park.
The revitalized park will feature a new up-to-code playground featuring several climbing structures along with an accessible merry-go-round and accessible adult swing. The new structures will be linked by a paved walking path providing access to new benches and handicap-accessible picnic tables. The park entrances on Elm Street and the Van Ness Road stairs will be equipped with handrails.
Before starting, the town hosted several community meetings in 2021 and worked closely with the Friends of Payson Park, a group of more than 200 neighbors and park users. Co-chair of the project and Town Meeting Member (Precinct 6) Susanne Croy, in partnership with the architecture firm Activitas, Inc., sought input from the community into the design, making access and safety the top priority.
“I think they did a great job incorporating community feedback,” said Miller, referring to Croy and fellow Town Meeting Member (Precinct 6) Linda Oates, who helped head the Friends of Payson Park. “I was invited to several Zoom meetings just to sort of weigh in on things as many of my neighbors were, too.”
Payson Park was last worked on over 30 years ago. Three decades of wear and tear has left deteriorating concrete, uneven playing fields with exposed rebar coming up through the dirt and peeling paint on several play structures, exposing large rusted sections.
“Everybody can’t wait for this project to be finalized and usable,” said Marcotte.
Due to the potential of hazardous materials at the park from the 1974 fire that destroyed the former Payson Park Elementary School, the construction is building up rather than digging down to avoid unearthing any such dangers. According to Marcotte, no hazardous materials have been discovered during the renovation thus far.
One of the most anticipated features of the park will be a half-moon shaped, multipurpose gathering plaza for classes and storytellers, similar to the one at Grove Street Park. The new plaza will become home to the long-running Payson Park summer concerts.
The Payson Park Music Festival held its concert series at the green space directly above the Underwood Pool due to the ongoing construction at the park.
“I can see people going over there with a book and sitting. I can see friends meeting each other,” said Croy, referring to the gathering plaza. “Kids can bring their balls, bats, and their soccer balls and do whatever they want there. There is going to be plenty of room.”
Some community members were concerned about trees previously planted in the park in memory of lost loved ones. Croy said that they are doing their best to keep what is there, but some trees were removed as they had grown into the fence and were not marked with plaques. However, the revitalization has refurbished several marked benches that were in disrepair.
“We are trying to keep what is there and respect and honor the person that it’s been planted in honor of,” said Croy.
