Malden Wins $400K For Kierstead Park Work

MALDEN, MA — Efforts to upgrade Malden’s Kierstead Park on Eastern Avenue recently won a financial boost in the form of a $400,000 state grant, the city announced last week.

Planning work is now continuing to move forward as the city looks to piece together funding for what officials have estimated as a more than $2 million project.

“This grant is a major win for our city and is the result of strong community partnerships and engagement,” Malden Mayor Gary Christenson said in the city’s grant announcement. “With these funds, we will be able to not only bring upgrades to Kierstead but also make it more accessible.”

Current plans at Kierstead call for a new, larger playground space in addition to what the city last week described as improvements to the park’s existing baseball field.

The city is looking to bolster walkways and lighting around the park while increasing tree canopy in the area.

A resolution set to come before the Malden City Council on Tuesday estimates the cost of overall Kierstead Park work at around $2.2 million.

The city has $400,000 in state money for the project through its recent grant.

Council filings and city statements last week detail further plans to allocate $900,000 in local American Rescue Plan Act funding alongside state Community Development Block Grant program and city Community Preservation Committee money.

City Councilor Chris Simonelli, who represents Ward 7 and the Kierstead Park area, noted the city’s multi-pronged funding approach in comments last week.

“Kierstead Park serves some of the city’s lowest-income residents, and they deserve a great playground and a great ballfield,” Simonelli said. “I am glad the City is leveraging so many funding sources, including this PARC grant, to make sure we deliver the best project possible.”

Kierstead Park sits at the intersection of Eastern Avenue and Willow Street. Steps from Malden’s Roosevelt Park, Kierstead has been the subject of larger city efforts to revitalize parks and playgrounds between the Lincoln Common in Malden and the nearby Salemwood School.

The city has pursued separate park plans at Roosevelt Park in recent years, prompting controversy in the area as project opponents have voiced concerns.

The matter has split the Malden City Council, at times, with supporters of city Roosevelt Park plans backing the plans as opponents raise concerns about topics including soil contamination and planned artificial turf.

Kierstead Park is on the council’s agenda this week via a resolution from Simonelli seeking to authorize certain steps for Christenson to take in pursuit of more state money for Kierstead work.