Friends of Springfield Parks

The Friends of Springfield Parks is a 501(c ) 3 nonprofit organization which raises funds to support Park Department projects. Currently the Friends are seeking donations and funding for the creation of the planned Forest Park Horticulture and Learning Center. The project goal is “to re-establish the Forest Park Horticulture Area by creating an opportunity for exploration of the natural environment, history, and the arts for all the patrons that visit Forest Park.” an idea that was unpopular with some folks but which was the proper tactic for Forest Park.

If you would like more information please contact the Springfield Park Department, 200 Trafton Rd., Springfield, MA 01108• 413-787-6440.

I am grateful to then Mayor Richard E. Neal for seeing something in me as a new graduate from UMass and Stockbridge School of Agriculture to hire me as a Park Planner for the Springfield Parks Department. His words to me at the time were, “Our parks have great potential, go up there, be creative and bring them up to their potential.” These words have stayed with me throughout my 36 years with the department. I am fortunate that everyone who preceded me, served with me, and now new hires coming in have had a passion for their role and stewardship for this public land. All of our open spaces are vulnerable to Mother Nature’s whims, but somehow our dedicated park staff have always been responsive and innovative to get the job done in a diligent and efficient manner. It is the passion of the park employees that is the key ingredient in making our park system special.

Since I started as Park Planner in 1987, the city has not missed a grant round in what is now known as the Commonwealth’s PARC grant program. We had a decrease in federal funds after the Reagan Administration, but funds would be once again restored, with the assistance of Congressman Neal, under the Bush Administration. Our city parks would not be as commendable as they are today without state and federal grant programs. In addition, our state delegation over the years deserves credit in ensuring our many projects are funded annually.

Three years ago voters, showing their support of public parks, passed the Community Preservation Act (CPA) which guarantees a portion of the local real estate tax revenue be used for the purpose of restoring our parks. This has been a key component in funding projects that do not fit the criteria of state or federal grants. As of today, over 5 million dollars have been invested into our parks from CPA funding. Passing the CPA was a clear message that our residents appreciate their open space and that they desire to see funding allocated to the city’s municipal parks.

Our neighborhood councils play a key role in assisting Springfield Parks with selecting CPA projects and developing scope of services for the projects they believe are necessary in their neighborhood.

It is rewarding to have key stakeholders in every neighborhood who share that same passion for open space that was exhibited by our forefathers in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Our park benefactors would be very proud of the role our neighborhood councils and civic associations play by participating in our park projects. City bonds have also been a key component to supplement funding of many projects.

Past Mayors and City Councilors have always been supportive in releasing local funding to ensure our parks can be enjoyed by all of our residents.

Our parks are forever changing — they are susceptible to the environment, storms, and now climate change. Over the past ten years our parks have benefited from a monumental investment into restoration projects. I have had two bookends of enthusiastic supporters in my tenure in park management: former mayor and now Congressman Richard Neal at the beginning of my career and current Mayor Domenic Sarno. During Mayor Sarno’s first week in office, he met with me and detailed his goals and his particular interest in our parks. He passionately described how he grew up near Forest Park and how, later in life, he had managed the South End Community Center. The combination of open space and active recreation were vitally important in his view. He wanted every neighborhood to have its own park.

With 93 million dollars invested into our parks, we are nearing Mayor Sarno’s dream for every park being renovated. His ability to connect effectively with state government was evident under both Governor Deval Patrick and Governor Charlie Baker. The city has suffered through significant weather events, especially during the Baker administration, and the Mayor and Governor Baker would immediately secure emergency funding to begin relief efforts. All of the mayors I have worked for fully supported our parks and open space, but Congressman Neal and Mayor Sarno exhibited a passion for open space that exceeded all expectations. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the contributions of Sherriff Mike Ashe and Sheriff Nick Cocchi. I met with Sherriff Ashe some 28 years ago and we discussed the idea of bringing his innovative work-release program to our park system. What started off as a fledgling program with two crews has now grown to ten daily work crews assigned to park districts. Their role in assisting our park staff has been instrumental in maintaining our parks to a high standard for the enjoyment of park patrons. Under the leadership of Sheriff Cocchi, the program has been expanded to include safety patrols in the parks and specialty programs such as stump removal, forestry trail maintenance, and carpentry. This successful partnership has had a significant impact on our parks and programs, and has been beneficial to the Sheriff’s workers as they learn skills that ready them for employment as they re-enter society. We are very grateful to the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department for their commitment to Springfield parks.

I am pleased to announce that the future is very bright for our park system. There are plans for a new Horticultural Center; Greenleaf Park is scheduled to receive a $1.5 million renovation; Duggan Park will be transformed with $14 million of upgrades; Donna Blake Park is under design for a makeover; our Forestry Division will be opening new headquarters at their renovated tree nursery; improvements to Blunt Park, Hubbard Park, Marshall Roy Park, Kenefick Park, Hennessey Park, Nahorniak Park, Angelina Park, Calhoun Park, Barrows Park, Loon Pond, and Westminster Park have been completed recently or are scheduled for work. I am proud that both the Van Horn Dam in the North End and the Wa- tershops Pond Dam in the South End have undergone major repairs so that area residents and businesses are protected from the potential of a natural disaster. We believe we have chosen our projects wisely to ensure a viable and safe park system. Over the years, it has taken many hands to ensure that our park system is praiseworthy. I hope this brief acknowledgement gives insight into the management and operation of our park system that is necessary to ensure that we properly preserve our renowned parks and open space. We consider it a great honor and responsibility to be stewards of this land and we are grateful to everyone that has participated in making our parks prominent. Please know that today the idea of a parks system only dreamed of in 1880 is thriving in the City of Springfield. I am confident that past and present efforts will lead to a bright future for our parks to be enjoyed by many succeeding generations.

Patrick Sullivan Executive Director of Parks, Building and Recreational Management