Lowell’s Sponge Park Kicks-Off with Community Cookout
We are still pinching ourselves after a great event in Lowell!
The Agency design team, in collaboration with a team led by City of Lowell’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD) in partnership with the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust, the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and the Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy, facilitated a kick-off community event for the Saint Louis Sponge Park. Lowell’s Department of Public Works joined the cookout to spread awareness about stormwater management along the river. The community cookout was a lively evening of great food, good music, and a great showing from the diverse Lowell community!
Chez Rafiki food truck served up over 200 meals. DJ BCreativ spun an three-hour, all-vinyl set featuring tracks from The Black Keys, Tkay Maidza, Lapgan, and Tame Impala. Nearly a hundred guests are now toting in style with Saint Louis Sponge Park branded tote bags. And the kids enjoyed chalk games, bubbles, and hula hoops.
Thank you to the Lowell community for coming out and participating in the design of the Saint Louis Sponge Park! Dozens of comments offered on colorful program visualizations (made by Agency, Bryony Roberts Studio, and Hisel Flynn) described what the community wants the park to look and feel like, what activities they want to do there, how it can best reflect their varied cultures, and overall dreams for this treasured community space. The input is invaluable and will help shape the design of the park.
And there is so much more to look forward to! The City is currently hiring for community liaisons to help guide the community engagement process. Visit saintlouisspongepark.com to see a few favorite photos and learn more about the project and future events.
The team includes Hisel Flynn Architects, CHA, Studio Ummo, HLB Lighting, Nitsch Engineering, Moffat & Nichol, Tetra Tech, RSE, and Bryony Roberts Studio.