FRAMINGHAM - Framingham residents and officials took part in the grand opening of the new Arlington Street Park on Tuesday, July 2.

Mayor Charlie Sisitsky invited residents to partake in the park’s opening, as local families gathered to explore the its new features and equipment. A barbeque was also held to commemorate the occasion.

“We picked Arlington Street Park for this neighborhood because we know how many kids live in this neighborhood and how desperately they need recreational space,” Sisitsky explained.

The construction of the park was long in the works, as the Arlington Street Park Improvement Plan was approved last June by city officials. The project was a complete redesign of the former park, which only had a single basketball court and a small playground. The new park boasts a hybrid basketball and futsal court in addition to two playgrounds, a field with picnic tables, and a splash pad–the first of its kind in the city.

“I really hope all of us remember that this park is for our children to use their imaginations, to share the space, and for us as adults to make sure we guard and take care of it for them,” District 8 City Councilor Leslie White Harvey said at the grand opening.

The Arlington Street Park is a notable addition to downtown Framingham, as escaping the heat has proved to be difficult during the summer months. Waushakum Beach, which is undergoing its own improvement plan (https://www.framinghamma.gov/3234/Waushakum-Beach-Improvements), has faced sporadic closures recently due to a large E. coli outbreak. The splash pad on Arlington Street will now allow kids to cool down and safely play in the water.

“The splash pad is low-flow,” Parks and Recreation Director for the city James Snyder said, “so it’s actually designed to be very user-friendly and actually conserve water.”

Future park improvements are set to take place across Framingham. A groundbreaking ceremony was held earlier this year for improvements to Mary Dennison Park on Beaver Street, while Reardon Park is set to undergo construction for its redesign within the next year. Sisitsky has specifically outlined his intention to have splash pads implemented at more local parks going forward, with a plan to install a splash pad at the existing Cushing Memorial Park playground in the works.

The Arlington Street Park renovations were largely funded by a Community Preservation Act grant along with a bond authorization from the Capital Improvement Plan for the 2024 fiscal year.