Save the Natural Grass at Roosevelt Park
Donation protected
Roosevelt Park is a 2.7 acre natural grass park in Malden, MA. PLEASE HELP US SAVE THIS PARK FROM BEING CONVERTED INTO AN ARTIFICIAL TURF SPORTS ATHLETIC STADIUM. The park serves as the school yard for the K-8 Salemwood School, serving 1200 students, the largest K-8 school in Malden. The park sits in an Environmental Justice neighborhood, so designated because of the predominantly low-income, minority and non-English speaking population.
It is the only park of this size in this densely settled area of the City. Neighborhood residents value this park for the many active and passive recreational opportunities it provides.
The City of Malden has plans to convert this 2.7 acre urban oasis to an artificial turf "sports facility," despite significant public objection. A community group, Friends of Roosevelt Park and Salemwood Community, is desperately trying to fight this initiative. Thus far, we have not managed to convince City leadership to pursue a natural-grass-based renovation for the park, and are now following all legal avenues to prevent the loss of the last 2.7 acres of public natural green space in this City Precinct.
We need to raise funds to pay for legal representation in the current legal challenge we have raised - an Adjudicatory Appeal with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
Your help will mean so much for this process and HOPE that we can preserve our NATURAL, URBAN OPEN SPACE.
This previously red-lined neighborhood is threatened by a massive heat island, caused by an excess of impervious surfaces (too much concrete), exacerbated by 4 other artificial turf fields already in this section of the City, and a dearth of street trees and other natural features that would cool the neighborhood.
PLEASE HELP US!
Our Story Appears in the Boston Globe
Heat map showing 4 artificial turf fields in close proximity to Roosevelt Park contributing to the urban heat island effect.
Fields 1-4 are artificial turf. The City of Malden wants to convert field 5, Roosevelt Park, to artificial turf also:
These 5 fields comprise an area of just one-tenth of one sq. mile. (0.1 sq. mi.), all in the economically disadvantaged section of town.
Historical Redlined Map of Malden
https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/#loc=13/42.427/-71.055&adviewer=sidebar
Friends of Roosevelt Park and Salemwood Community
It is the only park of this size in this densely settled area of the City. Neighborhood residents value this park for the many active and passive recreational opportunities it provides.
The City of Malden has plans to convert this 2.7 acre urban oasis to an artificial turf "sports facility," despite significant public objection. A community group, Friends of Roosevelt Park and Salemwood Community, is desperately trying to fight this initiative. Thus far, we have not managed to convince City leadership to pursue a natural-grass-based renovation for the park, and are now following all legal avenues to prevent the loss of the last 2.7 acres of public natural green space in this City Precinct.
We need to raise funds to pay for legal representation in the current legal challenge we have raised - an Adjudicatory Appeal with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
Your help will mean so much for this process and HOPE that we can preserve our NATURAL, URBAN OPEN SPACE.
This previously red-lined neighborhood is threatened by a massive heat island, caused by an excess of impervious surfaces (too much concrete), exacerbated by 4 other artificial turf fields already in this section of the City, and a dearth of street trees and other natural features that would cool the neighborhood.
PLEASE HELP US!
Our Story Appears in the Boston Globe
Heat map showing 4 artificial turf fields in close proximity to Roosevelt Park contributing to the urban heat island effect.
Fields 1-4 are artificial turf. The City of Malden wants to convert field 5, Roosevelt Park, to artificial turf also:
These 5 fields comprise an area of just one-tenth of one sq. mile. (0.1 sq. mi.), all in the economically disadvantaged section of town.
Historical Redlined Map of Malden
https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/#loc=13/42.427/-71.055&adviewer=sidebar
Friends of Roosevelt Park and Salemwood Community
Organizer
Friends of Roosevelt Park and Salemwood Community
Organizer
Malden, MA