The City of Melrose was recently awarded a MassDOT Grant through the Shared Streets and Spaces Program which will fund the creation of multiple parklets throughout the city.
Parklets, as the name suggests, are basically pop-up miniatures parks. They are generally used to provide flexible public seating in areas of high foot traffic, particularly in commercial districts around restaurants. Parklets are generally installed within street areas traditionally used for automobile parking. These public spaces, once converted away from this traditional usage as short-term vehicle storage, become part of the vibrant fabric of urban public life, supporting and promoting greater commercial activity and a safer, more interconnected city.
Parklets aren’t exactly something you can walk into a store and buy, though.
Rather than purchasing off-the-shelf fencing and barricades, the City has opted to use the funds to purchase materials which will then be assembled into modular parklet units. These units will be build by, and for, members of the Community, in a process being facilitated by the Ped/Bike Committee. As soon as they are constructed, they will begin replacing the orange “placeholder” parklets on Main, West Wyoming, and West Emerson.
That’s where you come in! If you are comfortable around tools and would like to volunteer your time to help with sawing, drilling, hammering, or anything else which comes up, please fill out the below form and we will get in touch!
If you don’t see a date that works for you in the above form, don’t worry: more building dates will be announced soon. Stay tuned to our Facebook or Twitter accounts to learn when these are announced, or sign up for our mailing list.
Finally, if you’re curious about what these parklets will look like once installed — and who wouldn’t be? — you can view a 3D preview of the design below, via our Twitter account: