By Joan F. Simoneau, Community Reporter
Marlborough – Due to the receipt of a $200,000 state grant and rental income from cell towers on Sligo Hill, the city will move forward with plans to renovate Stevens Playground which abuts Martin and Broad streets. In a communication to the City Council at the May 19meeting, Mayor Arthur Vigeant asked councilors to accept the grant and allow him to proceed with the renovation project. They referred the request to the Finance Committee for review.
The renovation will include the addition of new playground equipment, 15 additional trees, four benches, six picnic tables, a drinking water fountain, fencing and a pavilion.
The state grant is part of “Our Common Backyards Grant Program,” aimed at building a ?new playground or spray park in each of the Commonwealth's 54 cities, according to Conservation Officer Priscilla Ryder who has conferred with City Solicitor Don Rider and Melissa Cryan, the Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) grant coordinator for the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
Because Stevens Playground was acquired in 1934 as a playground, a City Council vote is needed to permanently transfer the land to the Parks and Recreation Commission for park purposes.
In related developments with grants from the commonwealth, Vigeant told councilors that the Council on Aging received a $45,000 grant from the State Department of Transportation to fund about 80 percent of the cost of an eight-passenger handicapped-accessible vehicle. The balance will be funded by the Friends of Marlborough Seniors and the Executive Office of Elder Affairs.