Stadium project boosted

State approves $500,000 grant

Everett's plans to refurbish its athletic stadium received a major boost last week when the state awarded $500,000 for the project.

Ian Bowles, state Energy and Environmental Affairs secretary, announced the award during a visit to Everett Memorial Stadium on Nov. 21, where he was joined by city officials and Everett's state legislators.

The grant was among 20 totaling $7.4 million the state agency awarded that day for fiscal 2009 under its Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities program.

In this region, Chelsea, Lynn, Newburyport, Peabody, and Salem also received funding under the program, which helps cities and towns buy land, and build and renovate parks, athletic fields, and other outdoor recreational spaces.

"The Commonwealth is pleased to partner with the city of Everett on a project that will enhance recreational opportunities for the city's youth for years to come," Bowles said in a statement issued by his office.

He said that the stadium, located in an urban area close to two MBTA bus routes, is a "prime example" of Governor Deval Patrick following through on a pledge to revitalize city neighborhoods through investments in urban parks and open-space conservation.

The 5.6-acre Everett Memorial Stadium, located on Revere Beach Parkway, is the home field for the high school's Crimson Tide football team, a powerhouse that has made the Greater Boston League championships the last 14 years, and won the Division One Super Bowl seven of the last 10 years.

Everett's youth soccer and football programs and the Special Olympics also make use of the field on a limited basis.

The project calls for upgrading the existing natural field to synthetic turf. If enough funding remains, it would also provide for adding and rehabilitating bleachers, and improving the field house restrooms.

Mayor Carlo DeMaria, in a prepared statement, said the funding would provide the high school football team "with a stadium that is reflective of its long history of success. More importantly, these enhancements will provide other scholastic teams, local youth sports organizations, and residents with a premier recreational space that can be enjoyed by Everett citizens for years to come."

DeMaria credited the city's legislators, state Senator Anthony Galluccio of Cambridge and Representative Stephen "Stat" Smith of Everett for their help in securing the grant. All three joined Bowles in speaking at last Friday's event, held in one of the stadium end zones.

Marzie Galazka, community development director, said that the project is estimated to cost approximately $1.3 million. The state is committed to covering 62 percent, but no more than $500,000. As a result, if the project ends up costing the projected $1.3 million, Everett would be responsible for the other $800,000.

"The mayor is committed to the project and he will find the necessary funding," Galazka said of DeMaria. She said the city will explore other state or federal grant opportunities, and possible funding from the business community, to reduce the amount of city funds that would be needed. Any city expenditure would require City Council approval.

In its application for state funds, the city requested $500,000 to be used either for improvements to Sacramone Park, located off Santilli Highway and Tileston Street, or for the stadium. Galazka said the state opted to award money for the stadium project.

"Everett is so densely populated and our parks are so heavily used that any time we have an opportunity to utilize grants for rehabilitating them it's a tremendous opportunity," Galazka said.

She said the award is particularly gratifying because this marks the first time in the last decade that the city was eligible for funding under the program. The state had suspended the city's eligibility while Everett worked to replace parkland that lost when it built the new high school on the terraces of Glendale Park. The city met that requirement last year when it completed construction of the third of three parks.

Frederick Foresteire, school superintendent, said the school district is thrilled with the state grant, noting that the project would allow much greater use of the field.

To protect the stadium's natural-grass field for its primary user - the high school football teams - Foresteire said the city now has to restrict use of the facility by other sports programs during any kind of inclement weather. As a result, other sports groups, including the school's field hockey team and youth soccer and football programs, have only limited access to the field.

With synthetic turf, Foresteire said, the limitations posed by weather would no longer exist, so that the field could be made available much more readily to those other groups. He said installing synthetic turf would also eliminate the need to apply chalk boundary lines before every game, a labor-saving benefit that would further ease restrictions on field use.

Enabling more teams to practice and play at the stadium would "do a great deal for our youth programs," Foresteire said.