Coughlin Pk. Renovations Are Moving Forward

Linda Bressard, chair of the Winthrop Parks Committee, said her committee is the process of selecting the new playground equipment for Coughlin Park, coinciding with the renovation project at the playground located on Bayview Avenue.

Bressard said the town received a $200,000 grant from the state for renovations to the park. The town itself also allocated $50,000 for improvements to the park.

“The Parks Committee’s job is to raise funds for playground equipment and pick out a vendor and the equipment and the town takes it from there,” said Bressard. “The DPW director [Steve Calla] and the Parks and Recreation Diretcor [Sean Driscoll] are working on coordinating the rest of the project.”

Bressard’s committee met Tuesday night at the EB Newton School to discuss the status of the Coughlin Park  renovations. Committee members Dawn Sullivan, Liz Donovan, and Julie Swanson were present for the meeting along with Paul O’Donnell of the DPW. Three residents from Point Shirley were also in attendance.

Improvements at Coughlin Playground include the resurfacing of the basketball and tennis courts, along with the installation of new fences.

“The existing basketball court will be split in to two sections, one for basketball and one for street hockey,” said Bressard. “Instead of facing north to south, the court will face east to west.”

Bressard said the committee is excited about the renovations. “It’s been a long time coming. The current equipment in the park is old. It’s not very play friendly right now.”

Bressard said the Parks Committee received permission from the Town Council to install the new playground equipment in a different location inside the park.

“The new equipment would go in a new location in the park, leaving the old footprint empty,” said Bressard. “We picked a large climbing structure with netting for the old area. We’re hoping to have the new equipment – which will be fully handicapped accessible for -  installed within the next couple months.”

Coughlin Park is the site of the Fourth of July Horribles Parade.