Melrose Hits Jackpot: $100K To Improve Oak Grove Paths

MELROSE, MA — Melrose will be putting a $100,000 grant to use in improving some of the roads leading to Oak Grove. The Board of Aldermen on Tuesday night accepted the Community Mitigation Fund Grant that comes due to the city being recognized as a neighboring community to the Encore Boston Harbor Casino being built in Everett.

Melrose DPW Director John Scenna said the city will be using the money on the routes to Oak Grove Station because the casino plans on offering shuttle service from the Orange Line, meaning there could be an influx of riders.

The city will use nearly $27,000 of the grant to study the "major travel corridors" leading to Oak Grove, Scenna said in a letter to Mayor Gail Infurna. The rest of the money will be used on implementing improvements.

The study will look at the pedestrian corridor on all of Pleasant Street, on Washington Street from Pleasant to Oak Grove, and West Wyoming Ave. from Main Street to Cottage Street. In total, it's about 2 1/2 miles of road that includes the Lincoln School and the Wyoming Hill Commuter Rail stop.

Under consideration will be bicycle and pedestrian accommodations, including intersections, crosswalks, wheelchair ramps, and bus stops, Scenna said. It will look at on-street parking, but is not expected to include plans for a potential parking garage.

"The T property is the T property," Scenna said Tuesday.

Related: Oak Grove Station Improvements Discussed

Readers Say: Oak Grove Station Improvements Don't Go Far Enough

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Photo: John Scenna speaks Tuesday night. (Mike Carraggi, Patch)