Massport, East Boston Community Celebrate Completion of Piers Park II

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), members of the Piers Park Advisory Committee (PierPAC), local elected officials and community members today celebrated the opening of Piers Park II on the East Boston Waterfront. This new park is adjacent to the award-winning Piers Park, which was completed over twenty years ago. With the addition of Piers Park II, Massport now owns and operates approximately 38 acres of green space throughout East Boston.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the opening of Piers Park II today, creating more green space for the residents of East Boston,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “The State and Massport are happy to participate in this joyous collaboration of community members that brought this project to life.” 
In collaboration with the PierPAC, Massport worked with East Boston residents to design the project. While the original Piers Park was designed for unstructured activity, Piers Park II is an active park including a 1.07-acre active play area as the centerpiece, allowing multiple groups of people to participate in activities at the same time.

The design for the 4.5-acre park includes key resiliency features to help protect the area from flooding and sea level rise. Several sustainable elements have been incorporated into the park’s design to protect against flooding at a critical flood water pathway and reduce heat island effect in the dense East Boston community, including:
-    Elevating the park site and creating landscape berms to provide flood protection;
-    Replacing the gravel lot with 4.5 acres of greenspace;
-    Planting 72 new trees;
-    Installing drinking fountains with bottle filling stations;
-    Placing energy efficient lighting throughout the park and at the new Sailing Center building, and;
-    Building a highly efficient heating and cooling system in the new Sailing Center building.

“We are excited to announce the official opening of Piers Park II after years of collaborative efforts between Massport, the PierPAC and the East Boston community to make this possible,” said Massport Board Member John Nucci. “This park provides more green space for the area and has a number of resiliency features providing a diverse and rich environment for all of those who call East Boston home.”

“Piers Park II further enhances the waterfront of East Boston and provides more open space and views for community members and visitors to enjoy,” said State Senator Lydia Edwards. “I’m thrilled that this project has become a reality after years of collaborative efforts.”

“Piers Park is one of our community’s most cherished, beautiful open spaces, and I am so excited to be celebrating the official opening of Piers Park II today!,” said State Representative Adrian Madaro. “This moment is one that has been a long time coming, and I want to thank Massport for their partnership in making Piers Park II a reality, as well as all of the community activists who have played a role in bringing this much-anticipated project to completion. East Boston will now have even more waterfront open space to enjoy.”

“We are excited to celebrate the completion of Piers Park II today, a green space that adds to the vibrant East Boston community,” said Massport Interim CEO Ed Freni. “This new park is a great addition to the East Boston Waterfront and we look forward to seeing the community and visitors enjoy this new space.”

The park contains several water features, a picnic grove, multi-generational exercise equipment, and a children’s area with a playground and wandering path with musical instruments. A new 1,600-square-foot building for the Piers Park Sailing Center and an open air pavilion structure was built on the park site, providing views of the waterfront activity for the staff and participants.

“Open space along our waterfront is a priority for East Boston and we are thrilled to celebrate the addition of the now completed Piers Park II,” said Boston City Councilor Gabriella Coletta. “Our parks provide some of the most beautiful views of the Boston skyline and will be cherished by the community for generations.”

“The East Boston neighborhood has long awaited the official opening of Piers Park II and I’m grateful to the active members of our community that have continued to support bringing this project to life,” said former Boston City Councilor and PierPAC member Sal LaMattina. “Residents and visitors of all ages will greatly benefit from the thoughtful design of this project.”  

“Piers Park II is an excellent addition to the waterfront for all residents and visitors of the community to enjoy,” said Executive Director of the Piers Park Sailing Center Alex DeFronzo. “We are thrilled about the new building for the Sailing Center as we continuously work to improve and elevate our program, and create opportunities in the East Boston community to enjoy the waterfront and the harbor."

Working in concert with government, community and civic leaders throughout Massachusetts and New England, Massport is an active participant in efforts that improve the quality of life for residents living near its facilities and who make sacrifices every day so that the Authority can deliver important transportation services to families and businesses throughout New England.

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Powering What’s Possible. The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) owns and operates Boston Logan International Airport, public terminals in the Port of Boston, Hanscom Field, and Worcester Regional Airport. For more information, please visit massport.com.