PHOTO BY BOB ROCHE
Kids hang out at the damaged concrete bleachers at Barry Park in Lynn.
BY THOR JOURGENSEN
LYNN — State Rep. Brendan Crighton and Ward 7 City Councilor Jay Walsh are renewing a push to remove Barry Park’s bleachers as a first step to restoring the park.
Crighton, a Democrat who represents West Lynn and Nahant on Beacon Hill, has filed a budget request for $200,000 for the renovations, starting with the removal of the concrete bleachers.
“They are a source of blight separating the neighborhood from the park,” he said.
The seats deteriorating condition and location are a frequent target for graffiti. The vandalism prompted former councilor Rick Ford before he left office to call for their demolition.
Walsh said he is carrying on that fight and vowed there is support among residents to replace the seats with a low, tree-lined hill providing shade and a buffer between the park and nearby homes.
“The neighbors take it upon themselves to clean the graffiti, but the bleachers have become a problem,” Walsh said.
Crighton’s proposed amendments to the state budget under debate for the spending year that begins on July 1 includes another $200,000 to repair the broken median fence on the Carroll Parkway.
From the Nahant Rotary to the Lynnway, the parkway with its pedestrian overpass linking the North Shore Community College campus to Heritage State Park is divided by the fence on a grassy strip of land.
Last year, Crighton supported efforts to repair the fence, citing its appearance.
“It looks even worse than last year,” he said.
He also offered an amendment to spend $25,000 to pay for state inspectors to check Breeds Pond and Walden Pond dams for structural integrity. The earth dams border local water reservoirs and Walsh said they receive routine maintenance, including trimming trees before their roots take hold and erode the dam slopes.
State Rep. Lori Ehrlich (D-Marblehead) and Crighton co-sponsored amendments to allocate $50,000 in the state budget to clear algae from Kings and Long Beach. The algae prompts odor complaints on hot summer days.
The pair also proposed spending $90,000 from the state budget to support the Russian Community Association of Massachusetts. The organization is one of several immigrant and refugee assistance groups on Wheeler Street where the New American Center is located.
Crighton also filed another $90,000 amendment to assist the E-Team Machinist training program praised by Gov. Baker and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton.
Thor Jourgensen can be reached at [email protected]