Stoneham's Tri-Community Greenway Gets New Picnic Areas

STONEHAM, MA — More than 20 volunteers from the Greater Boston Association of Realtors and the Stoneham Community Development Corporation recently cleaned up and installed picnic areas on two sections of the Tri-Community Greenway in Stoneham.

The Greater Boston Association of Realtors (GBAR) secured a place-making grant from the National Association of Realtors last fall and donated its own funding to work on the project with the Stoneham CDC.

Along with support from The Presti Group, Mahoney's Garden Centers, Joe O'Sullivan from Canner Law & Associates and Deb Frank from Metro Credit Union, two sections of the Greenway at Montvale Avenue and Pomeworth Street were upgraded to include bike racks, picnic tables and maple trees.

The idea came about when Marie Presti, owner of the Presti Group, approached the Stoneham CDC about getting local realtors involved in a project to better the community. They worked together to secure funding, local approval and assemble a volunteer team to put the project in action.

"We are pleased to have had the opportunity to deliver $4,000 in funding to support the Stoneham CDC’s efforts to beautify and improve the features available to users of the Greenway," GBAR President Jason Gell, of RE/MAX Unlimited in Brookline, said in a statement. "As Realtors®, we work hard every day to effectively market the communities we serve, and placemaking projects like this are a wonderful way for us, as an organization, to invest in improvements to parks, plazas and pedestrian ways to make them a source of enjoyment and community pride."

The Stoneham CDC is an all-volunteer group made up of residents who are dedicated to increasing community wellbeing by undertaking community development projects, special events, and supporting long-term planning. It grew out of the Stoneham Town Center Action Plan developed for the Town of Stoneham with the guidance of the MAPC (Metropolitan Area Planning Council) in 2014. The CDC works to promote Stoneham and its amenities to a wider audience.

The CDC is currently pursuing a number of projects including building a loop trail around Spot Pond, increasing the number of cultural events for residents and visitors and more transportation improvements. To learn more about the Stoneham CDC and donate to current projects, go to http://www.stonehamcdc.org.

"We were delighted to work on this project with Marie from the Presti Group and GBAR,
bringing together Stoneham CDC volunteers and GBAR Realtors® to build something for people
to enjoy for many years to come," CDC Vice President Jenny Lecoq said in a statement. "Thank you to everyone who supported the project!"