DCS Conservation Portraits - Conway Park, Somerville

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	Balfour Riverwalk Park Attleboro, MA
	Barnes Wildlife Sanctuary Cohasset, MA
	Conway Park, Somerville, MA
	Parkhill Park Fitchburg, MA
	Riverwalk Park Methuen, MA
	Prospect Hill Park Waltham, MA

Conservation Portraits

Conway Park - Somerville, MA

Bay State Smelting was a brownfield and major air polluter, with a long history of OSHA and DEP violations. The site was located in a very low income industrial neighborhood with commuter rail tracks running along the back boundary. Through several phases of the Urban Self-Help Program, this site has been acquired, demolished, and reused as a flagship park for Somerville. It is adjacent to an MDC skating rink and Conway Park. Through a Memorandum of Understanding between the city and the MDC, this recreational site is a model for state, local and citizen cooperation. The combination of the old Conway Park, MDC facility, and the added smelting site makes for an impressive recreational facility.

The Way Conway Park Looked Before the Urban Self-Help Program
Before - MDC Rink	Before - Bay State Smelting

Before - Conway Park

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Ian A. Bowles, Secretary Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge, 9th Floor Boston, Massachusetts 02114	Phone: (617) 626-1000 FAX: (617) 626-1181

The Way Conway Park Looked After the Urban Self-Help Program
After - MDC Rink The front of the MDC Rink which once was parking and pavement is now a comfortable quiet seating area.	Somerville Smelting The site of the old smelting facility now houses an in-line hockey rink and basketball courts, along with parking.

After - Conway Park
The playing fields have been refurbished, play structures have been updated, and a spray play feature give a cool respite from hot summer days.

Spray feature with natureal inserts in pond bottom.	A cultural history explained in interpretive signs throughout the park.

© 2007 Commonwealth of Massachusetts	Privacy Policy Disclaimer Contact Us
Ian A. Bowles, Secretary Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge, 9th Floor Boston, Massachusetts 02114	Phone: (617) 626-1000 FAX: (617) 626-1181