The Boston Parks Department held a hearing recently in a virtual format on the proposed renovation at Fidelis Way Park in Brighton.

Project Manager Max Sell said the project will be moving forward with design and construction documents by the spring, with construction likely happening in the next year, though he said a date has not been nailed down.

“That timeline is a little difficult to determine right now, since it depends on a few variables,” he said. “But construction won’t be starting any time before the fall.”

He said there will be one more public meeting, yet to be scheduled, before those design documents get going.

The park currently is somewhat of a hidden gem, as it’s not directly visible from the road. It sits on a height, which has historically made it difficult to access for those with mobility issues, and is only accessible from the parking lot at the Boston Housing Authority Commonwealth Apartments parking lot. The park is situated basically at the corner of Warren Street and Commonwealth Avenue.

Despite the apparent remoteness of the location, the site serves a lot of people. There is a large density of community buildings near the site, including the BHA Commonwealth Development, the Fatima Shrine and Cemetery, the Congregation Kadimah Toras Moshe, the Brighton High School, the Franciscan Children’s Hospital & Day School, the Jackson Mann Community Center, the Sisters of St. Joseph, the Boston Medical Center, and the Spaulding Nursing Center.

The park was originally built in 1972 and was last updated in 1993. Sell said the proposed park improvements – which have been aided by community input over the last two public meetings – include a new playground for children ages 2-5, a new playground for ages 5-12, improvements to the existing basketball courts, a new ramp compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), pavement improvements, drainage improvements, a plaza with tables and seating, and new plantings.

Advertisement

Residents asked at the meeting for picnic tables, which Sell said was doable, as well as more trees to the field to create shade and seating areas. Sell also said the public survey on the proposal, which garnered 20 respondents, informed a lot of the current plan. Residents also said they would like better lighting at the park.

Sell said they are currently gathering information on the types of play equipment residents want to see at the park: Would they like more modern climbing structures or the traditional castle with slides? Would they like more wide play spaces or tall play spaces? Traditional swings or group swings? Types of seating, etc.? Sell perhaps gave away his own preference during that discussion.

“Who doesn’t love a tall slide?” he said.

Sell said they are still collecting feedback from residents, and those interested can see all design documents and give their feedback by going to https://tinyurl.com/yck6jck