Plan To Overhaul Worcester's Tacoma Street Park Moves Forward

WORCESTER, MA — A plan to overhaul a Worcester park that was previously home to a city pool is moving forward, and the renovation will add amenities like a dog park, splash park and sports fields.

The Worcester Parks Division last week sent plans for the Tacoma Street Playground renovation to the Conservation Commission for potential approval. The plans show the north end of the park gaining a large artificial soccer and football field, a dog park at the southern end, and a playground and water park in the middle. There's also a grassy seating area between the dog park and play area.

The Tacoma Street Playground was formerly home to one of seven city pools that were shut down in 2009. The city council at the time opted to close most of the pools rather than pay for repairs. The pools were demolished in the years after, and the 19-acre Tacoma Street park has remained largely a grassy expanse ever since, except for some aging basketball courts and picnic tables.

Plans call for most of the existing facility to be demolished, and for the open grassy areas to be regraded. The project has to go to the Conservation Commission because it is located with a wetland buffer zone near Poor Farm Brook.

City officials have estimated the Tacoma Street park upgrade will cost about $6.5 million, but will be paid entirely with federal funds. The city will use about $5.5 million from its $146 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allotment, plus a $1 million National Parks Service grant awarded in 2021.

The Tacoma Street renovation will be the second of two park overhauls planned in the Great Brook Valley area. A planned $178 million renovation of the public housing complex includes a refurbished Great Brook Valley park to include a new soccer field, basketball courts and tennis courts.