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The Spicket River Greenway The vision for the Spicket River Greenway, envisioned as a three-mile long “emerald bracelet” of green spaces and walking paths connecting parks and open space through multiple neighborhoods, meets multiple bottom lines by helping the community achieve the dual goals of riverfront restoration and neighborhood revitalization. The Greenway vision is derived from a multi-year collaborative effort that has included the City of Lawrence, Groundwork Lawrence, numerous other community organizations, and a diverse group of stakeholders that over the years have: participated in the 2002 Urban RiverVisions planning and charrette sessions; advocated for enforcement efforts against illegal dumping with the Spicket River Task Force and the Clean Spicket Campaign; and championed reclamation of the river with direct action, including the thousands of residents who have cleared over 70 tons of debris from the Spicket River’s banks over the course of six Cleanups held annually since 2002. Three anchor sites along the Greenway have recently been rehabilitated or built: Dr. Nina Scarito Park, Misserville Skate Park, and Arlington Neighborhood Park. This fall the City of Lawrence was awarded a $500,000 Urban Self-Help grant award from the Commonwealth’s Division of Conservation Services, which provides funding for finalization of 100% construction documents and bid specifications, as well as remediation (environmental clean-up) and final construction of a 3+ acre park on Covanta's “the old incinerator site.”
Working Together All Things are Possible! In the six years it took to make Scarito Park a reality, hundreds of people and scores of public agencies were involved in decision-making, problem-solving, and trouble-shooting to move the project forward. Throughout this time, Groundwork Lawrence served as the catalyst and manager of the project, helping to coordinate community outreach; environmental investigation and remedial activities; site design and planning; legal and real estate transaction work; fundraising; project permitting; construction; and volunteer involvement. Thanks to the strong commitment and leadership of City and State officials, neighborhood residents, and Bank of America, Scarito Park stands today as a shining example of the value that a beautiful, community-designed open space can bring to a neighborhood. It is also the first new park to be completed as part of the Spicket River Greenway. Lawrence has its very own skate park, thanks to the persistence and hard work of a group of young skaters who launched the project more than five years ago. The skaters, self-dubbed the Sk8 Kids, spent several years conducting research on skate park design, scouting out parks in surrounding communities, organizing meetings with city officials, and circulating a petition among city residents to garner support for the project. Groundwork Lawrence has been involved in the project since 2001, providing assistance with site selection, design meetings, fundraising, and project coordination with the City of Lawrence. The initial idea for the skate park expanded to include a complete renovation of Misserville Park, a 1.6-acre site along the Spicket River that serves a school yard for the Leonard School. The park, which was hot-topped and had almost no green space, has been transformed into a dynamic new recreation area with basketball courts, a mini-turf field, walking path, lawns, trees and plantings, and a picnic area next to the river. In addition, a new courtyard garden has been constructed on the south-facing side of the school with raised garden beds that provide an opportunity for outdoor classroom activities and schoolyard gardening. The overall design scheme was created in collaboration with the principal, teachers and students from the Leonard School. Construction of the entire project was funded by the Massachusetts Urban Self-Help program and the City of Lawrence CDBG program. The Misserville Skate Park creates another new link in the evolving Spicket River Greenway. In partnership with the City of Lawrence, Groundwork Lawrence has completed the rehabilitation of Arlington Neighborhood Park, a new 1-acre green space along the Spicket River adjacent to Central Catholic High School. The park, which sits in the flood plain, will provide much-needed open space for local residents while helping to absorb storm water and minimizing the impact of chronic flooding on the surrounding neighborhood. The park is being enhanced by planned improvements to Central Catholic’s parking lot and adjacent city-owned property, which will further contribute to improved storm water management in the area. Thanks to the persistence and hard work of everyone involved, the completion of this project represents an important and long-awaited milestone in the development of the Spicket River Greenway. The Covanta site is one of Lawrence’s hidden gems-- a linear 5-acre parcel of land situated in the northwest corner of the city and bordering Stevens Pond at the head of Lawrence’s stretch of the Spicket River. Like many industrial sites in Lawrence, the area suffered from a history of contamination (the site at one time housed a municipal trash incinerator) that has long posed challenges to its redevelopment. At the same time, the site offers great new green space and serves as a spectacular anchor for the Spicket River Greenway.
In partnership with the Office of Senator Susan Tucker, the Commonwealth’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and the City of Lawrence, GWL is currently managing the design and development of the Riverwalk, envisioned as a 1.3-mile pedestrian walkway along the southern bank of the Merrimack River. When complete, the Riverwalk will be part of DCR’s state park system and will provide a tremendous new amenity for residents, employees, and visitors to the City. Project design and engineering is underway, and the first community meeting, held in November 2006, was very well-attended. In tandem with the ongoing design work, project partners are coordinating legal research and documentation to establish access agreements for public use of the Riverwalk. In partnership with DCR, GWL is also developing a maintenance plan to ensure the Riverwalk’s upkeep after construction. Plans include the establishment of a maintenance fund that will support the Lawrence Outdoor Youth Corps, a GWL employment and training program for Lawrence teens, to conduct seasonal maintenance of the Riverwalk, as well as enabling larger capital repairs as needed in the future. The Riverwalk project is a true public-private partnership and demonstrates what can be accomplished through the coordinated efforts of local and state agencies, elected officials, businesses, and non-profit organizations. Den Rock Park is a 120-acre wooded preserve that includes walking trails, a granite rock face with fissures perfect for technical climbing, scenic overlooks, and access to the Shawsheen River. The park serves as a recreational amenity for the region and attracts hundreds of visitors throughout the year.
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