Pulaski Park is a small urban park located in the city of

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571. Northampton is known as an acade ...

. It is situated on Main Street (State Highway 9) between the City Hall and the

Academy of Music Theatre The Academy of Music Theatre is located in and owned by the City of Northampton, Massachusetts. History The Academy of Music was built by Edward H. R. Lyman in 1890. Lyman earned his wealth as a tea and silk merchant. He lived in New York C ...

. The park was named after Polish military leader

Casimir Pulaski Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski of the Ślepowron coat of arms (; ''Casimir Pulaski'' ; March 4 or March 6, 1745 Makarewicz, 1998 October 11, 1779) was a Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander who has been called, tog ...

Features

The park consists of shade trees, walkways, benches, a playground, and a small stage. The front of the park has a plaza with movable cafeteria tables and chairs. Behind the plaza is a grassy space suitable for picnics. The play area consists of stumps to jump on and a slide made out of Goshen stone. Planters and other features are made of rusty steel, serving as a nod to Northampton's industrial past. One environmentally friendly feature was added to the park is a

stormwater Stormwater, also spelled storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed la ...

garden consisting of plants that absorb rainwater and naturally treat it before being carried into the storm drainage system. A bus stop that serves several routes on the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (

PVTA The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) oversees and coordinates public transportation in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. Currently the PVTA offers fixed-route bus service as well as paratransit service for the elderly and disable ...

), including several routes leading to

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...

, is also located there.

Renovations

The park, last renovated in 1976, fell into a state of disrepair and neglect. In addition, the park was dominated by concrete and lacked open green spaces. In 2014, a plan was adopted to renovate the existing park to make it more inviting to the public. Construction on the first phase started in late 2015. On July 22nd, 2016, the park reopened with a grand ceremony. The new incarnation of the park was themed around nature. Phase II of the park renovation consists of the expansion of the park, improving connections to the adjacent Roundhouse Parking Lot and the

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

-Northampton Rail. The work will consist of replacing the existing slope with a new set of stairs as well as a ramp with switchbacks for

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

users.

References

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