By Haley ED Houseman

Planned renovations for Lincoln Park were presented to the public on Monday evening. (click to enlarge)

The final plans for the Lincoln Park renovations were presented Monday evening at Argenziano School in an open house meeting. City officials invited the community to hear the final design and speak to officials involved in the project. Lincoln Park is one of Somerville’s oldest green spaces and is very popular with residents of the neighborhood and adjacent school.

The plans for the 6.6 acres of parkland included a water spray area; an enclosed tot lot with play structures; two basketball courts; picnic tables; a multipurpose recreation field, and a ball field. There is also space for older children and adults, with the inclusion of an outdoor classroom, a dog run, as well as community gardens, and skate park area.

To fund the renovations, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has submitted a spending request of $9.4 million to the Board of Aldermen. Construction on the park is expected to take about a year and will begin in early 2017.

The team, comprised of contractors SPURR and Weston Samson, developed the park’s plan from suggestions and data derived from a variety of community meetings, data, and feedback, including three “listening sessions” and two design meetings. It takes into consideration the drainage and field usage issues that are some of the obstacles in the current space.

Nearly 100 locals showed up to learn more, including Aldermen Maryann Heuston, Mary Jo Rossetti, Katjana Ballantyne, and Mark Niedergang. The park is situated at the heart of the city between the points of Union Square, Inman Square, and the intersection of Washington and Beacon Streets. In this close-knit community, the space is particularly beloved, and its residents are hopeful that the park will only be more so after the renovations.