GRAMSTORFF PARK - everett, MA

CBA Landscape Architects worked with the City of Everett and community stakeholders to develop a program that provides a wide variety of recreational opportunities to users of this neighborhood park. Initial challenges included lack of visibility into the park, fragmented use areas, and inadequate safety zone space around the play equipment. CBA began by exploring the reorientation of the basketball court so that it would create a more flexible space in the rest of the park. There was a strong preference at community meetings for a more traditional, symmetrical design that featured innovative play equipment in bright, nature-inspired colors. Drawing from the mature red maples that lined the edge of the park and were preserved in the final design, CBA developed a leaf motif for the poured-in-place rubber play surface, and vibrant painted lilypad graphics in the new splash pad area. Unlike many urban parks, this site was expansive enough to include four bays of swings and a dish swing, which both the City and the neighbors identified as a high-priority item. CBA carefully chose a wide range of play equipment for different age groups that would maximize play value and allow the desired visibility into and throughout the park. Pedestrian-scale lighting was another addition to the park to help address the community’s safety concerns, as well as two security cameras connected to the City’s network. In the center of the park near one of three entrances, CBA designed a pergola that shades a seating area for groups or gatherings. In addition to providing benches and seat walls near the play areas for parents and caregivers, CBA provided benches in the basketball court and in the open lawn area to address requests for seating that wasn’t necessarily intended for caregivers. The renovation also incorporated a walking loop that encircles a lawn area.