South Natick Parks

At a glance

What: The Town asks for $1,243,500 in Community Preservation Act funds (part 1) to renovate Grove Park and the Multipurpose Area in South Natick.
Where it stands: Hearing July 21, 2026, continued to August 4, 2026 at 6:30 PM. The request would shrink if a pending state MVP grant is awarded; the state had not announced a decision.
Who: Director Snell presented.

Application CPA-26-3 from the Town (Community Services Department) asks for $1,243,500 to renovate Grove Park (7 Pleasant Street) and the Multipurpose Area (23 Pleasant Street) in South Natick. Director Snell presented.
Total cost is estimated at $1,343,313; the remaining $96,813 was already appropriated by Town Meeting as the match for a state Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant application. If the state grant is awarded, the Town will reduce its CPA request.
Grove Park: accessible pathways, new and refurbished benches, picnic tables, bike rack, plantings, guardrails. Multipurpose Area: new parking lot with accessible spaces, accessible ramp and paths, bioretention, bike racks, picnic area, stormwater work. Drought-tolerant native plantings in both. Work would begin in January if funded; signage needs Historic District Commission approval. CPA money last year paid for final design and permitting.
Old Town Park is not included; the Town applied for a federal earmark for it.

Chair Ramage worried that seeking CPA money at the same time as the state grant could hurt the state decision; the state says "summer" and its timeline is slipping. The CPA request was added as a contingency.
Krentzman: if the state says no and the Committee funds only part, the Town would decide what part to do; plans assume both parks together. The MVP application was filed around March; the Town does not plan to ask the Fall Annual Town Meeting for more money.
Montemayor: the Multipurpose Area is used for skating and basketball; the Town may create other basketball areas and will prepare a town-wide sports facilities master plan.
Hiller: the project could not have applied for MVP funds last year because the prior phase was ongoing; building concurrently with the spillway removal saves cost.
Evers: the state application covers only these two parks.

Angelo Ciosi asked about a town-wide plan for more parks and suggested a skate park elsewhere in town.

Chair Ramage continued the hearing to August 4, 2026 at 6:30 PM. No vote taken.

Hearing opened on CPA-26-3; questions on the pending state grant and fallback plans; one resident spoke; continued to August 4.

The Recreation and Parks Commission agenda for November 9 lists South Natick parks. No outcome recorded yet.