Mayor Joseph Curtatone officiated the ribbon cutting for the opening of the renovated Lincoln Park on July 20. — Photos by Shira Laucharoen

By Shira Laucharoen

Somerville’s Lincoln Park held its grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on July 20, an event that marked the reopening of the park. The dynamic new space, a recreational area for the community, underwent a renovation process and is currently the largest park in the city. Present at the celebration were Mayor Joseph Curtatone, Ward 2 Alderman J.T. Scott, and the city’s director of parks Arn Franzen.

“We know that access to quality green space isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity in urban neighborhoods like ours,” said Curtatone.

Planning for the changes to the park began in 2009, and construction started in 2016. Developers initiated the upgrade with the intention of creating a state of the art outdoor common, taking into account the income of the neighborhood and recreational needs, before commencing the design process.

New playground facilities are at the core of the redesign of Lincoln Park.

The improvements include a basketball court, a baseball field, a soccer field, a water park, community gardens, and soaring playground equipment. The park also green features, such as 150-200 new trees and an underground storm water storage system. The infrastructure will be able to hold 250,000 gallons of water, relieving flooding problems that the Lincoln Park area has historically faced. Franzen said that all surfaces in the park are permeable, with a playground design that incorporates spongy, water absorbent material. In design stages, two camps existed, advocating for synthetic turf and natural grass.

“We went with natural grass, and the topography is much different now,” said Franzen. “There was a flat dirt field, and it now has a rolling topography with trees and informal places for sitting around. There’s a huge new playground that’s the core of the park, with spaces for little kids and a sand play area.”

The renovation of the park cost over 8 million dollars, with funding approved by the Board of Aldermen in 2016. The first phase of the project was the building of the Argenziano schoolyard facility, which was completed in September 2016. Design for the park was developed by Weston & Sampson architects, a team of landscape architects, urban designers, and planners, while MacKay’s Construction Services was responsible for building. During planning meetings, developers pointed towards the importance of equitable access to outdoor recreation opportunities.

Children played in the water park in the state of the art public space.

Franzen said that he hopes the park will be a draw for the entire community, accommodating all with recreation programming for soccer, softball, and basketball, and offering a space for Argenziano School’s physical education classes to utilize. The park will be an environment that fosters developmentally healthy play, guiding kids “away from screens,” said Franzen.

“There are towering play structures that dominate the skyline, with three towers connected by net bridges,” said Franzen. “We’re trying to promote the idea of adventure play and know that kids are going to be healthier and do better when challenged. We wanted to provide the most interesting and stimulating play that we could.”

The park features a new swing set for recreational use.