Our view: Brownfields become urban greenswards

Eagle-Tribune

Polluted urban lots once regarded as dangerous wastelands are finding new life as places for recreation and relaxation.In recent days, the governor's office announced major reclamation projects that will take place in Salem and Lawrence, while officials in Beverly celebrated the transformation of a former fly-ash pit near the airport.The site formerly occupied by the Ogden Martin (now Covanta) medical waste incinerator in Lawrence's Arlington neighborhood is a desolate area that will be transformed into a beautiful park.

Aided by a $500,000 state grant, the city plans to make the land part of the Spicket River Greenway with benches, new landscaping and other amenities.The Covanta facility in Lawrence was shuttered in 1998. Contamination and the availability of more developable sites within the city had seemingly condemned it to many more years of neglect.But its location between Manchester Street and the Spicket River provided an ideal opportunity to develop it for active and passive recreation. City officials believe those improvements may help relieve the flooding problems that occur periodically in the area.

Birch Plains Park is the bucolic name of the Beverly site. It reflects the greenery that's replaced what had been a bleak expanse of rock, gravel and tons of fly ash trucked in from the Salem Harbor power plant. Funding for the park restoration, which will serve to protect Salem and Beverly's water supply in nearby Wenham Lake, came from the power plant's former owner, National Grid."It's a work of art," exclaimed famed environmental lawyer Jan Schlictmann, president of the Wenham Lake Watershed Association and a prime mover behind the restoration effort.And in Salem, the same grant program that's funding the Lawrence project will be used to build a new playground on an industrial site next to the South River canal in the city's Point neighborhood.

"Open spaces help define the character and improve the livability of our cities and towns, and investing in our system of parks across the entire commonwealth will allow residents to enjoy nature and engage in recreational activities within their communities," Gov. Deval Patrick declared in announcing $7.8 million worth of grants for 21 projects throughout the state.Indeed, in densely populated cities like Salem and Lawrence where green space is at a premium, it makes sense to convert these abandoned brownfields sites into places where people can enjoy the outdoors.

The boost from the state's Urban Self-Help Program was critical. Besides the two North-of-Boston projects, the grants announced last month will help restore a decaying urban plaza in Brockton, improve public access to the Concord River in Lowell, and build bocce courts in Chelsea.According to Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles, whose office oversees the 30-year-old Urban Self-Help Program, "We gave special consideration this year to projects that will stabilize city neighborhoods and help revitalize urban centers."All three projects are welcome additions that will allows residents of their respective communities to find a touch of green where there was once only the brown of neglect and decay.
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