State slates $5m for new Neponset park

Also to renovate Hyde Park shell

For years, the images of birds, fish, and flowers on the Martini Shell have been a blur of peeling paint, graffiti, and rot. Now, the state plans to revitalize the performance space and the surrounding area along the Neponset River.

State officials are scheduled to announce today a $5 million effort to build a new park - to be called the Neponset River Esplanade - along the river between Mattapan Square and Hyde Park, more money than the state has spent on any urban park since the Rose Kennedy Greenway over the Central Artery in Boston.

Plans for the 3-mile park along Truman Parkway include extending the bike and pedestrian pathway from Mattapan Square to the Martini Shell, adding a canoe and kayak launch near the shell, and renovating the former Truman Parkway field office as a Neponset River Esplanade headquarters. The state expects to finish the project in 2010.

"The Neponset River Esplanade is a perfect addition to [the Department of Conservation and Recreation's] roster of urban parks, a beautiful spot for walking and cycling, putting in a kayak or canoe, or just sitting and reading," said Ian Bowles, secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, in a statement.

The park, the result of years of planning for the Neponset River area, is part of what Governor Deval Patrick calls the Commonwealth Urban Park initiative. The administration plans similar efforts to improve parks throughout the state.

Rick Sullivan, commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, said the project amounts to the largest expenditure of state money in the area in five decades.

"I can think of no better place for an urban legacy park to be established than the Neponset River," Sullivan said. "I think this is a fantastic opportunity."

In a statement, Mayor Thomas M. Menino said the city appreciates the state aid.

"The Neponset River is one of the hidden jewels of Boston," Menino said. "Through both public and private investments along its banks, the Neponset River is undergoing a remarkable transformation that is opening up a wealth of public access and recreation opportunities for countless area residents."

At the Martini Shell yesterday, residents pointed to timeworn benches, lampposts that do not work, and the rusty fence blocking access to the river.

They said it was about time for the state to improve the area, which compares unfavorably to the better known city esplanade along the Charles River.

"This is a beautiful area that they haven't done anything with, really, in my lifetime," said Justin Tierney, 22, as he walked to his home in Hyde Park. "It would be great if there was a nice place to go locally, instead of having to go all the way downtown."

Anthony Collymore, who has lived in the area for eight years, spent part of the afternoon tossing a discus near the Martini Shell with his son.

"If we were in the suburbs, it wouldn't look like this," said Collymore, 55, of Hyde Park. "There's a big difference between the Martini Shell and the Hatch Shell" in the Back Bay.

Barbara Donohue, 34, also of Hyde Park, said it would be nice if the city could use the Martini Shell for plays and concerts.

"It will be nice to put this area to use," she said. "There's a lot of potential."

David Abel can be reached at dabel@globe.com.