ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
The renovated Bristow Street Park in Saugus.
By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
SAUGUS — The $1 million overhaul of the Bristow Street Park is nearing completion.
The renovation includes new playground equipment and fences, a basketball court and parking. A bathroom, storage shed and concession stand are still to be completed. There will be a 10-foot ball wall for lacrosse practice.
Town Manager Scott Crabtree said the project is almost finished, including the rubber pouring and playground equipment. The foundation has been started for the shed, bathrooms and concessions. Crews have dug and laid the water and sewer pipes.
“The park is going great,” Crabtree said. “It looks fantastic and hopefully they will be completing it in the next few weeks. Hopefully before the snow. But the basketball court looks phenomenal.”
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The Bristow Street playground is one of three public parks that have seen major improvement projects since last summer, when the town broke ground at the Veterans Park outside the Veterans Memorial Elementary School on Hurd Avenue.
The new $700,000 playground, with handicap accessibility, swings, a jungle-gym and an irrigated field, was unveiled in September and has since drawn crowds of children. Belmonte Middle School has upgraded tennis courts that comply with regulations for holding tournaments. Overall, the park improvement projects cost the town $2 million.
“One comment we’ve all heard is that parents needed to take their children to other communities to use their parks and playgrounds since the ones in Saugus were inferior,” said Debra Panetta, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen. “I’m delighted to say that this is no longer the case. These parks are outstanding, and the kids and parents are thrilled with the playground equipment.”
Crabtree noted in July that such quality of life investments haven’t been made in several decades, adding that he hasn’t seen significant strides in Saugus in his lifetime.
Panetta said the Board of Selectmen has been very supportive of making parks and playgrounds a priority.
“It is important that family stays together in Saugus, and everyone, young and old, can enjoy these beautiful parks,” Panetta said. “It was imperative that we prioritized the parks and playgrounds, and I’d like to thank the town manager and his administration, including the DPW, for all the work that has transpired this year.
I’d also like to thank the Finance Committee and Town Meeting for also supporting these efforts. I am so grateful and proud that our town continues to work together to do great things for Saugus residents.”
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.