THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – Friday, March 8, 2019 Page 3 City announces renovations for Central Avenue and Glendale Street Parks By Christopher Roberson C ity officials have invested approximately $2.5 million to refurbish the Central Avenue and Glendale Street (old Hale School) Parks, which have been plagued by antiquated playground equipment and wasted space. Both projects are expected to be completed by the spring of 2020. During their March 4 presentation, Landscape Designer Elyse Gemme and Project Manager Leslie Fanger of Bohler Engineering said the Central Avenue Park will be redesigned to include a dog park that will be “180-200” feet long. “This is going to be the first dog park in Everett,” said Fanger. Gemme said the dog park will have a synthetic turf with antimicrobial properties for odor control as well as an irrigation system. “It’s not made with nylon, that’s the main thing,” she said, adding that there will also be a bone-shaped “puddle pool” for the dogs. In addition, a pocket park and toddler play area will be installed on the other side of the park. Fanger said that right now, there is a non-working water fountain and playground equipA rendering of how the old Hale School Park on Glendale Street is expected to look following its upcoming renovation. (Photos Courtesy of Bohler Engineering) ment from the 1980s. “The play equipment is quite old and in some cases dangerous,” she said, adding that the current equipment has exceeded its useful life by at least 15 years. “We need to start fresh here.” Similar to the Central Avenue Park, the old Hale School Park will feature a splash pad, play equipment for toddlers and a playground for children between the ages of five and 12. “That was an overriding theme for the mayor,” said Fanger. In addition, Gemme said, there will be a group of handicap-accessible community gardens. With plans to incorporate a nature theme, Fanger said, the park will have diagrams showing the life cycle of different plants. “We want to encourage learning along the way,” she said. Also recognizing that the park is the former site of the Hale School, Fanger said, the walkway will be replaced with “real brick to harken back to the school itself.” In terms of security, Fanger said a taller fence with a keypad will surround the perimeter of the park. There will also be addiAn aerial overview of the Central Avenue Park, which will feature the city’s first bona fide dog park. tional street lighting and surveillance cameras linked directly to the Everett Police Department. Fanger also said that during the renovation process, every effort will be made to save as many trees as possible at each park. “There are a lot of ornamental trees that are worth saving,” she said. Your career deserves an Encore. a Encore Boston Harbor is hiring. Meet us at our hiring event at the Hynes Convention Center March 18, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. Exclusive access for Residents of our Host & Surrounding Communities from 7 a.m. - 9 a.m. E In accordance with our host and surrounding community agreements, hiring preference is given to properly qualified residents of the cities of (1) Everett, (2) Malden, and (3) Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Medford, and Somerville.
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