Officials tour recent renovations to Blunt Park in Springfield

by: Emma McCorkindale, Kiara Smith

Posted: Aug 29, 2023 / 03:44 PM EDT

Updated: Aug 29, 2023 / 05:56 PM EDT

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Officials will be touring the recently completed renovations to Blunt Park in Springfield on Tuesday.

Blunt Park now has new inclusive playground amenities and swings, a splash pad, universal access to the park, picnic tables, tennis court improvements, tree plantings, and landscaping projects. These improvements are part of a plan to redevelop the park.

The redevelopment of the park has been overseen by the Springfield Department of Capital Asset Construction and the Department of Parks, Buildings, and Recreation Management, and was designed by GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc, and constructed by Omasta Landscaping.

Blunt Park will be the location of Stone Soul Festival this Labor Day weekend . Jay Griffin program chairman of Stone Soul Festival told 22News that these new improvements came just in time, “It’s a critical event that each nationality has an opportunity to express themselves and to have the mayor and the parks department and to have all their support is tremendous.”

He says the support of the mayor and parks department brought these new renovations to reality.

The renovations to the park were possible due to a $400,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s EEA PARC grant program, $625,000 from Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), and $498,000 from the Community Preservation Act (CPA) grant program.

Mayor Sarno states, “The city is grateful to the Commonwealth’s PARC grant program, the Community Preservation Act grant, and the CDBG program for providing the funding for this important neighborhood and quality of life project. PBRM Director Patrick Sullivan and I are excited to have initiated phase 1 of the Blunt Park Master Plan. The project illustrates the importance of having a master plan ready so that when grants become available, we are ready to participate in the application process. The improvements will be a welcome addition to the Bay Neighborhood and for all of the citizens who visit Blunt Park. I’m especially pleased that Director Sullivan and the Park Commission are honoring the Community with the construction of the Stone Soul Remembrance Garden. We look forward to its formal opening in mid-September. This new garden will be a constant reminder of the importance of not tolerating injustice and the importance of a strong community. I’m pleased that my administration was able to invest an additional $150,000 in this project through our local allocation of American Rescue Planning Act (ARPA) funding. The additional improvements include renovating the Blunt Park basketball courts and the opening of a woodland trail will initiate the start of phase 2 for this beautiful park.”

Kiara Smith is a reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since March 2023. Follow Kiara on X @KiaraBSmith1 and view her bio to see more of her work.

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