The Revere City Council on Oct. 20 approved a $4.2 million loan order to fund the next phase of McMacken Field, a multi-sport turf and lighting project that officials say will include new drainage, Musco field lighting, Daktronics scoreboard controls in a planned press box and expanded spectator areas.

City public works Superintendent Chris Charmello presented the plan to councilors, saying the bid package for phase 2 includes roadway improvements, sidewalk replacement with decorative lights, a precast retaining wall and a multipurpose synthetic turf surface designed to accommodate soccer (U-10 layout), softball and baseball. Charmello said the design includes an 8-foot perimeter fence with netting up to 30 feet in some areas to reduce foul balls entering adjacent streets and backyards.

The project will add 17 on-street parking spaces directly in front of the field and additional nearby parking; councilors and staff discussed using adjacent lots and permit parking on surrounding residential streets to manage event parking. Councilor Joanne McKenna urged measures to prevent long-term street parking in neighborhoods, saying, “People would just park in front of people's houses and stay there for 3, 4 hours.”

Why it matters: Councilors framed the project as a major investment in recreation and public safety that will add lit, all-weather field time for youth and adult users while addressing historic flooding at the site.

Most important details: Charmello described a stormwater system under the turf sized to handle a 100-year storm and said the field was raised about 8 feet during earlier work. The turf infield supports 60-foot base paths for softball/baseball; outfield fence distances vary from roughly 200 to 215 feet. Lighting is a Musco system specified to provide about 50 foot-candles in the infield and 30 in the outfield, and the scoreboard will be a Daktronics system with controls planned for a phase-3 press box.

Councilors pressed staff on several operational points. Michael Hinojosa of Parks and Recreation and Charmello discussed maintenance and security: regrooming the turf with magnet collection is expected “somewhere around $2,500 to $3,000” each time, performed one or two times a year, and the restroom building will use a pump station to connect to the Windsor Avenue sewer line. Staff said conduit for future cameras is being installed and utility companies (National Grid, Verizon) are coordinating relocation of poles where parking is proposed.

Phase 3 includes a two-story press box with score control and three ADA restrooms; Charmello said funding for that phase is already in place. The council discussed public access and locking policy at length: some councilors argued the field should remain open daytime to the public, while others and Parks staff warned of vandalism and costs associated with full-day supervision. No final locking policy was adopted; staff said the Parks, Arts & Culture Commission (PACS) and city departments will further consider hours and security.

The council approved the loan order by roll call. The approval moves the project forward toward construction targeted for mid‑2026 (projected opening shifted between July and August in council remarks).

Ending: The council and staff framed McMacken Field as an investment in recreation access and stormwater resilience; several implementation details — parking controls, final public-access rules and final phasing details for the press box and restrooms — remain to be resolved as construction advances.