By Lorenzo Recupero
Piles of dirt and the space formerly occupied by a worn Lynde Park have been transformed to a state-of-the-art recreational facility that boast a new outdoor hockey rink, multiple basketball courts, a playground and picnic area, and a brand new turf football field with “Everett” painted in each end zone.
The new facility, provided by Encore, who used the space where Lynde Park used to be to build a casino parking lot, redeveloped the remaining area to be a home for Everett residents looking for city space to enjoy, but also a place for the local high school sports teams to practice during the school year.
The extra playing spaces could be used by the lacrosse team, basketball team, football and even the hockey team now has a secondary option for practices with the new development.
“I went and checked out the facility recently and it’s really nice,” said second-year head football coach, Theluxon Pierre, who admitted the new field developed by Encore is a good thing, but his team will continue to use Veterans Memorial Stadium as their home field and practice area.
The official start of the 2020 football season at Everett High School is set to begin on August 16, according to coach Pierre, with mini-camp and scrimmages against Taunton Academy of Maine on August 24 and a second scrimmage against Haverhill High School on August 31.
As of right now, the Crimson Tide will remain practicing and scrimmaging at Everett Stadium, but that could change given the extra practice field that is so well-done it could substitute for the home playing field at any time except it lacks bleachers for spectators to sit.
One Everett resident, Lilly Vaquerano, voiced her pleasure with the new development and the recent redevelopment of other city parks on the City of Everett’s Facebook page earlier this week.
“When I moved to Everett just a few years ago, I would have to drive to some of the parks in East Boston because the ones here were so rundown and my kids didn’t like them. Thank you parks department for giving our kids the great parks they deserve,” she said.
Encore and the City of Everett are working on the developments finishing touches before it’s officially introduced to the public. The park is slated to be opened before the end of summer.