Federal dollars are being allocated to pay for a host of park improvement projects in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Flexing the muscles of incumbency on the eve of Springfield’s preliminary election, Mayor Domenic Sarno Monday announced $4 million to pay for long-discussed improvements at more than a dozen parks throughout the city.
“ This continues my administration’s continued investment in support of our parks system,” Sarno said.
The sources of the money are two federal programs – Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and the American Rescue Plan (ARPA), according to the mayor’s office.
Many of the improvements will take place at tiny neighborhood parks, but work is also planned at the city’s largest park – Forest Park -- and at a one of the city’s largest recreation areas – Five Mile Pond. All of it is included in a master plan developed several years ago but without a way to pay for it until now, said Parks Director Pat Sullivan.
“This is a great day for the city of Springfield to get a $4 million infusion into our parks system is tremendous,” Sullivan said.
At the announcement, Sarno bragged that $100 million has gone into park renovations since he took office 16 years ago.
“Parks are very, very important to me,” he said.
The funding announcement took place at Calhoun Park in the city’s North End neighborhood. The work there will include a new children’s play area, new landscaping including more trees, and a new handball court.
Among the neighborhood residents and advocates at the announcement was State Senator Adam Gomez, who recalled playing in Calhoun Park as a kid.
“We remember as children, (now) we have our next generation pushing forward for our neighborhood,” Gomez said.
Happy to see the new handball court make the funding list is Nancy Ortiz, who said she took up handball about 30 years ago when she was a student at UMass Amherst and is now Massachusetts chapter president of the U.S. Handball Association.
“We hoping to grow new players,” Ortiz said.
Sarno, already the city’s longest-serving mayor, is on the ballot Tuesday with four challengers. The top two finishers Tuesday advance to the November election.
