By Rachel Lake
The Greenway Conservancy is delighted to announce a series of upcoming park renovations to The Greenway in Chinatown this spring. These upgrades are focused on safety and community use, and were informed by community feedback and input, as well as by recommendations of the Conservancy’s Chin Park Lighting Study.
Mary Soo Hoo Park on The Greenway is undergoing renovations this spring to better utilize and light this space. The Conservancy will remove the 5 granite structures in the park, at the request of the community. We will temporarily use a gravel fill until concrete can be poured this spring. Brand new overhead lighting will be added and benches and play activities will be tested out in this space, with additional fitness and play equipment added when safety and budget allow.
In addition, Auntie Kay and Uncle Chin Park on The Greenway is undergoing renovations this spring. The Conservancy will be installing new lighting upgrades in the plaza and pathway and replacing the PlayCubes safety tiles with a poured safety surface.
These new park improvements are focused on community input and feedback around safety, park use, activation, and aesthetics, and will further enhance The Greenway as a welcoming public park for all. Park upgrades are supported in part by the Greenway Business Improvement District, the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, and the George B. Henderson Foundation.
In celebration of the Year of the Ox, the Conservancy recently installed Andy Li’s The Herd as part of its annual Chinese Zodiac public art series. Furen Dai’s A Mouse with Ears and Tail, celebrating Year of the Mouse, was deinstalled in early February. These public art projects were made possible with grants from the Barr Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts, Mabel Louise Riley Foundation, TD Charitable Foundation, and Lawrence and Lillian Solomon Foundation.
As the Conservancy looks ahead into 2021, we are preparing to say goodbye to our Executive Director Jesse Brackenbury, who will be moving on to his new role as President and CEO of The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation this April. The Conservancy continues our search for a visionary leader to become our next Executive Director; you can learn more about our search process on our website.
We remind visitors to wear a face covering and practice appropriate physical distancing while on The Greenway. To learn more about The Greenway and work of the Greenway Conservancy, check out our website at rosekennedygreenway.org. Please feel free to reach out with any questions and concerns to info@rosekennedygreenway.org.
Rachel Lake is the Marketing and Community Affairs Manager at the Greenway Conservancy.
To read this article in Chinese (Traditional), please click here.
