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Select Board approves Schick Park, Amery Playground improvements; construction to close parks this summer
Summary
The Select Board approved contracts to renovate Schick Park (one bidder) and Amery/Emery Playground (multiple bids) following community design review. Schick project received a $1.9 million appropriation; Amery renovations include full replacement of six tennis courts, parking, boardwalk and ecological improvements.
The Select Board approved park improvement contracts for Schick Park and Amery (Emery) Playground after presentations from the Department of Parks and Open Space. Both projects followed multi-stage public design review and community input, the department said.
Nut graf: Schick Park (a neighborhood park in North Brookline) and Amery Playground both have aging facilities; the projects focus on safety, accessibility, ecological restoration, and extended public programming. Schick will close for construction early this summer after award of the single bid; Amery (Emery) will also close for major work while efforts are made to keep the main ball field open where feasible.
Scope and procurement details Parks Director Miri Pradhan described three design review meetings for each project and said the scope for Schick includes ADA-compliant circulation, a new playground for all ages, a basketball court, site furnishings, wall restoration, and new planting. The board packet shows the Schick appropriation at approximately $1,900,000 for construction and related work.
Amery Playground work includes replacement of six tennis courts, parking-lot reconstruction, boardwalk and overlook repairs in the Hall’s Pond Sanctuary, drainage and irrigation upgrades and measures to enhance ecological value. Amery received multiple bids (three were reported), with the low bid near $2.1 million and higher responsive bids up to $2.8 million.
Community engagement and next steps The parks director said construction was expected to begin early summer and that the parks will be closed during construction. For Amery, staff said they will try to keep the main ball field available to the public during construction where possible. Board members asked about the single-bid situation for Schick and staff said seasonal contractor availability may have limited bidders. The board approved the park contracts and asked staff for links to the highway improvement program list and schedules for residents.
Ending Construction schedules and detailed closures will be posted by the Parks and Open Space Division and staff will coordinate resident outreach and accessibility updates while projects proceed.
