Medway Parks Improvements Project Groundbreaking

The Town of Medway is excited to announce the groundbreaking of the Parks Improvements Project. It will be held at Choate Park on Monday, May 7, 2018, at 5PM. 

Planning for these improvements began in earnest with a Special Town Meeting vote in June 2016, which voted to fund the design.  This project will renovate Choate Park, Oakland Park and replace the tennis courts at Medway Middle School. The renovation will include newly designed passive and active recreational areas at the parks, with pavilions, new playground equipment, and improve parking. 

This $4.8 million project was designed by CBA Landscape Architects LLC of Cambridge, MA.  The project will be funded through general town funds, Medway Community Preservation Act funds, and State support coordinated with the assistance of Medway’s legislative delegation.  We are grateful for Senator Karen Spilka’s support, as well as Representative Jeffrey Roy’s and Representative Brian Murray’s.  The project will take approximately five months to complete.

Mountain View Landscapes and Lawncare, Inc., of Chicopee, MA was awarded the construction contract for the Choate Park improvements.  Argus Construction Corp., of Bedford, MA is completing the Oakland Park renovations and Vermont Recreational Surfacing and Fencing, Inc. of Barnet, VT, is replacing the Middle School tennis courts. 

By undertaking the project the town accomplishes several goals.  Choate Park will become more fully realized as a town center and blend more seamlessly with the abutting, historic Thayer Homestead.  Oakland Park will have a significantly better layout and offer better accommodations for Camp Sunshine, which is hosted there every summer.  As part of the Oakland improvements, the Senior Center will receive a new entrance to its facility.  The tennis courts at the Middle School will be utilized more broadly by the students as part of the Middle School’s athletic programming, as well as by the residents.

Many thanks are due to those who contributed to getting this project to the groundbreaking stage.  Foremost among them are the town’s residents who supported the idea and approved the project. Our gratitude is also extended the Board of Selectmen, Community Preservation Committee, and the Evaluation of Parks, Fields and Recreational Areas Committee (EPFRAC): Chairman Richard D’Innocenzo (Selectman); David Travalini (Conservation Commission); David Blackwell (Conservation Commission); Michael Tudino (Parks Commission); Ross Rackliff (former Parks Commission Representative); Cheryl Richardson (Citizen at Large); Mark Diebus (former Citizen at Large Representative) Robert Pearl (Medway Public Schools Athletic Director); Paul Mahoney (Community Preservation Committee); Michael Francis (Open Space Committee); Michael Schrader (Finance Committee); Ellen Hillery (Finance Committee); Cathy Morgan (Friends of Choate Park); Kari MacLeod (Friends of Choate Park) .