Five local cities recently received a combined $740,000 in state grant money to improve parks.
The funding is part of $8.9 million distributed to 12 Massachusetts communities through the state’s Gateway City Parks initiative, said Kate Plourd, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, which administers the program.
The grants target communities with more than 35,000 people and household incomes, per capita incomes, and educational attainment levels below the state average.
Haverhill received $400,000 to acquire land for a trail network along the Merrimack River. Lowell received $250,000 to produce design and construction documents for the third phase of the Concord River Greenway and a preliminary design for renovation of South Common. Everett, Methuen, and Revere received $30,000 each to draft open space and recreation plans.
Grants are administered on a rolling basis. The next round of funding will be distributed once a sufficient number of projects have been approved, Plourd said. Other north of Boston cities eligible for future Gateway City Parks grants include Chelsea, Lawrence, Lynn, Malden, and Salem.
Brian Benson 
