LOWELL —City officials and residents gathered for a ribbon cutting Saturday to celebrate the reopening of Durkin Park on Chelmsford Street, following a $720,000 renovation funded through a Community Development Block Grant.
The project created a universally accessible playground, a new hillside slide, and a full-sized basketball court with poured-in-place rubber surfacing, Lowell Department of Public Works Commissioner Paul St. Cyr said in a statement. An ADA-accessible ramp was also added to the community garden and outdoor classroom in the park, and additional trees and picnic areas were installed.
District 8 City Councilor John Descoteaux, who grew up playing at the park, reflected on how far it has come.
“I remember half of the time the basketball hoops were broken off. You couldn’t play. There was glass shattered all over the basketball court, and it just wasn’t a great place to be. But coming here and seeing this, this is very impressive,” Councilor Descoteaux said while standing in front of the new park.
Assistant City Manager Shawn Machado attended the ceremony alongside Planning and Development Director Yovani Baez-Rose, Public Works Commissioner Paul St. Cyr, several city councilors, Councilor-Elect Sean McDonough, and state Representatives Rodney Elliott and Tara Hong.
The renovation is one of 11 park projects underway this year — eight of which are being funded by more than $7 million from the American Rescue Plan Act.
“Ninety-two percent of Lowell residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park,” said City Manager Thomas A. Golden, Jr. “This overall project will give tens of thousands of residents access to high-quality outdoor spaces and enrich the lives of children throughout our city. I’m thrilled to see the first of these projects, Durkin Park, reopened. We have many more reopenings to come.”
The enhancements also advance Lowell’s environmental resilience goals. The city plans to plant 166 trees and more than 1,600 native shrubs and perennials across public spaces as part of its park improvement effort.
Durkin Park, located beside the Lincoln School, is named after Private First Class John L. Durkin, who died in Europe shortly after World War I. The park was recently rededicated in his honor.