Officials Aim to Make South Brookline Parks More Accessible With Maps, Signs

Brookline boasts some 18,300 acres of open space, but much of it is accessible only by loose networks of trails, often unmapped and unknown to many would-be park users.

Now a new project headed by Randolph Meiklejohn of the Conservation Commission aims to make many parks in South Brookline, where the most unused open land in Brookline lies, more accessible to the public.

"The interesting thing about this area is the land is rugged and wild," Meiklejohn said. "Twenty years ago, these parks were unfamiliar to people."

Meiklejohn is heading up the town's new Sanctuary Signage Committee, which was put in place to develop informational boards in Skyline Park and Lost Pond, two adjacent parks near the site of the town's former landfill. He expects this project will improve recreation opportunities for residents in South Brookline.

"South Brookline is mainly residential and full of open space," Meiklejohn said. "[The signs] are going to offer a different experience for visitors."

The signs will include detailed maps of walking paths, the distance of trails, parking areas and other helpful information for visitors. The board may also include relevant history and facts about the park.

"The maps will be informative and in an easy to read format," said Erin Gallentine, director of Brookline Parks and Open Space.

Right now, pamphlets with maps are available for Skyline Park, but the informational boards will present information more clearly on location. They are being modeled  after the information board displayed at Hall's Pond.

Gallentine said money for the project will come from both the town and grant funding. No estimated budget has been set.

According to Tom Brady, the town's tree warden and conservation administrator, the project is still in its early stages. Members of the Sanctuary Signage Committee are presenting concepts and designs to Gallentine for approval.

Meiklejohn said the Sanctuary Signage Committee has met a handful of times already and will hold public meetings in the future to execute the project.