North Reading Delegation Secures $500,000 For Ipswich River Park

A release from the office of House Minority Leader Brad Jones:

BOSTON – House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) have successfully secured a $500,000 funding earmark for improvements to Ipswich River Park as part of a $2.4 billion environmental bond bill that was recently signed into law.

Opened in June of 1997, Ipswich River Park is a multi-purpose recreational facility that includes playgrounds, walking paths, and playing areas suitable for basketball, tennis, street hockey, soccer, baseball and other sports. The 49-acre property also hosts many community events throughout the year, including a “teddy bear picnic,” summer BBQs and concerts.

Ipswich River Park was voted last year as the “Most Scenic Spot in the Readings” by readers of The Readings Magazine, which declared it “a one-of-a-kind treasure.”

“There’s truly something for everyone at Ipswich River Park,” said Representative Jones. “With the funding contained in the environmental bond bill, the town will be able to carry out upgrades that will further enhance the experience for North Reading residents who utilize the park.”

"Ipswich River Park is a multifaceted gem that has been created through the leadership, persistence and innovation of town officials,” said Senator Tarr. “This great resource for people of all ages is a good investment of the state funding contained in this authorization, and I am pleased to work with Leader Jones to advance it through the legislative and administrative processes.”

The environmental bond bill was signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker on August 9 as Chapter 209 of the Acts of 2018. The bill authorizes funding for a variety of local and statewide environmental initiatives, including wetlands protection, climate change, coastal resiliency efforts, dam improvements, and the preservation of state-owned forests, parks, campgrounds and reservations across the Commonwealth.

Because the funding is included as part of a bond authorization, there is no firm timeline for when North Reading will actually receive the money. It must first be approved for release by the Baker-Polito Administration and then worked under the state’s annual borrowing cap, which was recently set at $2.34 billion for Fiscal Year 2019.

Representative Jones and Senator Tarr have pledged to continue to work together on the town’s behalf to help facilitate the timely release of the bond funding.