The Committee's overall mission is to help ensure the sustainability of the North End/Waterfront as a residential neighborhood by promoting and protecting parks and open spaces that meet the neighborhood's needs and are accessible, well-maintained and safe.
Copyright © 2009 North End/Waterfront Residents' Association, All rights reserved.
Parks & Open Spaces Committee
Upcoming Meetings
The next Parks & Open Spaces Committee meeting:
To Be Determined, 7pm
Nazzaro Center
30 N. Bennet St.
Latest Updates on the Parks & Open Spaces Committee
For more information about NEWRA’s Parks and Open Spaces Committee, email parks@newra.org.
__________________________________________________________
1. Boston Park Advocates is trying to raise public concern over proposed additional cuts in the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation's (DCR, formerly MDC) budget. DCR open space and recreational facilities in the North End/Waterfront include the skating rink, the nearby tennis courts, and the Harborwalk adjacent to them. DCR also manages most of the open space and recreational facilities along both sides of the Charles River, including the Nashua Street Park and the Esplanade. Please take a look at the attachments and let your state elected officials know that maintenance of our parks should not be neglected or it will take years and many more capital dollars to restore them. Most of us remember the poor condition of the MDC facilities in our neighborhood a decade or more ago that required major construction to restore.
2. At our last meeting, we discussed the work we've begun to create a map and inventory of our neighborhood parks and possibly a neighborhood parks guide. Reference was made to a similar, successful effort for East Boston. Nina has provided the link to the "East Boston Open Space Map." Click on this link, then look for "Inside Page in English" (or Spanish) and "Outside Page in English" (or Spanish) to access the map.
3. At our meeting, questions were raised about the finances of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy. Nina has included a link to financial information posted by the Greenway Conservancy on its website. Additional information about the Greenway and its finances is reported on NorthEndWaterfront.com at this link on the FY10 budget.
The next meeting of NEWRA's Parks and Open Space Committee will be held on Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 7:00 PM at the Nazzaro Center. Most of the meeting will involve planning a community-based park improvement program. Those who attended the March 1 meeting generally agreed that we should start with the Gassy (DeFilippo Playground) on Prince Street. I'll send out more information about this before the March 31 meeting.
Dave Kubiak
for Anne Pistorio, Chair
Parks and Open Space Committee
The Parks and Open Spaces Committee can be contacted at parks@newra.org.
View all Meetings & Events on the
Parks & Open Spaces Committee
Parks Co-Chairs
Our Mission
We are the "eyes and ears" of the parks. The committee's coverage area is in downtown Boston bounded by Surface Road, Blackstone Street, up to 20 Rowes Wharf no further than Keaney Square and North Washington Street, and bound by the water.
The North End has 15.6 acres of protected open spaces, 4.2 acres of unprotected public open spaces for a total of 20.2 acres of parks and open spaces. This includes the Greenway.
Some interesting notes:
■ Copps Hill Cemetery is 351 years old
■ Prior to 1885, there was no open space in the North End
■ The first playground in the United States was on Parmenter St. in back of what is the North End Union. It was called the Sand Garden.
PARKS SURVEY
Take the NEWRA survey to help our Parks & Open Spaces.
Now Online!
or printout one of these forms:
