Michelle from the Mayor Tom Bernards office in North Adams sent me a long-awaited release on Park upgrades.

The City of North Adams has been awarded a $318,500 grant toward improvements to the city’s Brayton Park through the Commonwealth’s Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) program. North Adams is one of 19 towns and cities across Massachusetts that will receive a share of the $6.4 million in grant funding announced recently by Governor Charlie Baker and the Baker-Polito administration.

With PARC funding, matched by the funds from the city’s Community Development Block Grant, the city will complete a renovation to Brayton Park. The project includes improvements to the park’s basketball and baseball/softball fields, installation of a multi-activity field, the creation of a walking path, a shade structure and seating, a community garden, and a small parking lot.

North Adams mayor Tom Bernard said:

“Creating opportunities for outdoor recreation and improving recreational amenities is a priority within the city’s Vision 2030 comprehensive plan, and a great way to build a sense of community and civic pride”, I’m grateful to the Baker-Polito administration for providing the funding for this PARC grant which will provide an improved park for neighborhood residents, students at Brayton Elementary School, and users of the Northern Berkshire YMCA .The updated Brayton Park also will help connect the park more closely to the incredible view of the Hoosac River available in the neighborhood.”

The PARC program was established in 1977 to assist cities and towns in acquiring and developing land for park and outdoor recreation purposes.

The grant for Brayton Park is part of a string of recent PARC successes in North Adams, including $400,000 grants for the city skate park, and construction of a spray park and other improvements to the city’s Noel Field complex, scheduled for completion in the summer of 2019.

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