Weymouth Moving Forward With New Park

WEYMOUTH, MA — A capped landfill on Wharf Street will become a passive recreational park later this year.

Mayor Robert Hedlund recently announced that the town is ready to construct Osprey Overlook Park on Wharf Street. The name is in recognition of the sea hawks, or osprey, that fish and nest on the Weymouth Back River. Residents are asked to keep out of the landfill during construction.

“Osprey Overlook Park will provide residents greater access to the Back River’s natural beauty while creating new recreational opportunities,” Hedlund said in a release. “It will transform the town landfill into a safe public space that respects and celebrates our natural resources.”

Weymouth’s landfill was capped and sealed by a protective membrane in 2000. Its location on the Back River offers unique access to the town’s waterways and wildlife and is within walking distance of residential neighborhoods and Great Esker Park. Reuse of the landfill is consistent with the Town’s Open Space & Recreation Plan and Massachusetts’ Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, both of which identify public demand for walking trails near water resources.

Osprey Overlook Park will feature an ADA-accessible overlook that provides panoramic views of the Back River and contains an interpretative panel on the characteristics and history of the osprey. Other park elements will include new fencing, guardrails, parking, plantings, and a half-mile looped walking trail with a direct connection to Great Esker Park. The park was designed by Kyle Zick Landscape Architecture of Boston, and will be constructed by Dayco Construction of Salem. The park will be the third installment of the Back River Trail Master Plan, which envisions a multiuse trail system running the length of the Back River and Herring Brook to Whitman’s Pond. Earlier installments of the trail include the Stephen Rennie Herring Run Pool Park completed in 2010 and the Kibby Property completed in 2016.

Osprey Overlook Park was funded in 2015 with local Community Preservation funds and a reimbursable $175,000 grant through the National Park Service’s Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) administers LWCF grants on behalf of the National Park Service for Massachusetts. Nearly 4,000 acres have been acquired and hundreds of parks renovated using the more than $100 million that Massachusetts has received from the state side portion of the federal program since 1965.

A press release was used in this article.

Image via Town of Weymouth