It has been a while since we have posted an update on the design for the upcoming playground renovation at Healy Field. This isn’t entirely unexpected: while the third community meeting was held just over a year ago, we were aware all along that construction would not begin until the renovations at Fallon Field were complete, to ensure that the neighborhood would not lose access to both of its playgrounds simultaneously. Over the course of the last year we have occasionally checked in with Boston Parks and Recreation to make sure that construction is still expected to begin in early spring. While were aware that there would likely be some changes to the plans, we were unsure of how extensive they would be, or whether they would necessitate a fourth community meeting. Continue reading →

Representatives from Copley Wolff Design Group and the Boston Parks Department recently came to the Archdale Community Center for a third meeting to discuss the upcoming renovations to the playground at Healy Field. While the previous meeting was largely focused on possible solutions for expanding the playground’s footprint, the designers opened this meeting with an acknowledgment that those options were prohibitively expensive, and that they had instead turned their focus towards maximizing the play value of the existing site. While it is disappointing that we will be unable to expand the site, it is hardly a surprise. As the latest design proposal shows, there is still a tremendous opportunity to improve the playground.

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