BSLA Fieldbook Issue 8 | Page 84

2016 Pope John Paul II Park showing the effects of drought ; only athletic fields are irrigated . Photo | Tony Cammarata , Aerial Boston
permeable geotextile barrier layer was installed over the site to prevent access to the contaminated soils and migration of soil materials to the surface . A variable depth layer of layer of clean material was imported to the site to provide a base for all pavements , structures , irrigation system , and athletic fields . New loam was imported to provide a growing medium for the playing fields and planted areas . The permeable barrier allowed for more flexibility in design and , therefore , that portion of the park has more vegetation , irrigated playing fields , and playground equipment . The Neponset II Park site also had contaminated soil conditions and was addressed in a similar fashion .
Early Low Impact Development and Low Maintenance
Prior to Low Impact Development ( LID ) becoming mainstream technology , these parks were designed to minimize stormwater runoff , maximize the use of native plantings , and use natural processes for reducing coastal erosion . Going beyond current practices at the time , the parks are an extreme example of site re-use because of the extensive remediation that occurred and the many LID practices that were built-in . The parking lots were provided with porous pavement strips and infiltration trenches to allow the stormwater to infiltrate into the soils of the Drive-In and Neponset II sites , and be absorbed by the sand layer of the landfill site . Overflow pipes connect to a municipal storm drainage system with an outfall to the Neponset River on the northern edge of the site .
Successful low maintenance has been an important feature of these parks . Natural vegetation was specifically chosen and utilized for adaptability to the coastal location , and to require minimal maintenance . Beyond the more intensive requirements of maintaining athletic fields , picnic areas and walkways , primary landscape maintenance activities include only monitoring for invasive species , removal and / or replacement of dead or unhealthy material , and once or twice yearly mowing of meadow areas . At the landfill site , it took a while to have the meadows remain meadows . The staff and neighbors at first wanted the Castle Island look with the area mowed regularly and none of those weedy native grasses allowed to grow . Current staff understand the value of native grasses and also the time-saving elements of not mowing the
82 BSLA