Flaherty Park playground reopens in South Boston

Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Boston Parks Commissioner Ryan Woods today announced the completion of improvements to the West 3rd Street Playground at John J. Flaherty Jr. Park, located at 130 B Street in South Boston. Improvements to the park include new play structures, safety surfacing, pathways, site furnishings, passive areas, and landscaping.

“This park is part of our citywide investment to provide residents of all ages with quality green and play spaces. In Boston, we are committed to creating open space for all residents to enjoy,” said Mayor Walsh. “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, parks and open spaces have played a vital role in Bostonians’ physical and mental health. I’m proud that we are able to continue improving city resources, even as we face the public health crisis.”

The $825,000 project budget was funded by Mayor Walsh’s Capital Improvement Plan with $94,000 in BPDA mitigation funding from the development of 45 West Third Street. Flaherty is one of several parks recently reopened within current health guidelines in Roxbury, Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan, and South Boston. 

The existing children’s structure was replaced with three new structures. A new state-of-the-art play area for children ages 2 to 5 includes a playhouse for young children to explore dramatic play, a circuit track with a foot bridge, and a misting water play area. Additional play structures for children ages 5 to 12 integrate rope elements, climbing entrances, and slides to provide graduated strength challenges for all ages. Other features include a central lawn panel for picnicking and play, an exercise area, tables and benches, and an increase in tree canopy.

Since 2014, the Walsh administration has invested more than $114 million across the city’s parks systems, representing some of the most significant parks investments in Boston’s history. The Fiscal Year 2021-2025 (FY21-FY25) Capital Plan includes enhanced support to maintain the City's Urban Wilds and Tree Canopy, increasing funding to plant and maintain trees across the city, as well as $36.8 million for new and ongoing open space projects in Fiscal Year 2021.