meadows weekly have been realized . The path edges are mowed and there are now mowed paths through the meadow with only twice yearly full mowing . Low water use at the Neponset II spray pool has also worked well and resulted in reduced staffing needs and lower maintenance requirements . This particular spray pool was a pioneer of its kind , sparking interest in low water use spray pools , now also used at other DCR parks .
The Neponset River and estuary area encompass one of the DCR ' s largest parks , with Pope John Paul II Park and contiguous Neponset II Park as the keystone within the Neponset River Reservation . As a result , the park designs took into consideration the MDC reservations traditions established by Charles Eliot , which underscore much of the Commonwealth ' s greenspace development over the past century , usually termed Olmstedian in character . The passive park areas emphasize naturalistic landforms and the planting of native species to create natural meadows set along salt water wetlands with an upland woodland edge .
Hallet Street Landfill salt marsh restoration . Photo | Pressley Associates
What Was Designed and Developed
Pope John Paul II Park includes passive play areas , four contiguous irrigated multi-purpose athletic fields , a playground area , picnic and shade shelter structures , community gardens , and picnicking spots , as well as multi-use pathways for walking and bicycling , which connect to a region-wide network and the Neponset River Trail . Budget constraints dictated portable restroom facilities , which are provided within shelters . The planting design incorporated woody vegetation into mounds placed over the capping system and includes mown fields and meadow areas intended to provide a naturalistic image . Meadow areas are mown once or twice per year to allow wildflowers and native grasses to thrive . The two lobes of the former Hallet Street Landfill and Neponset Drive-In are joined by a pedestrian bridge over restored salt marsh .
Construction of a bicycle trail along an abandoned railroad right-of-way provided a link for the Neponset River Trail , which was continued through Pope John Paul II Park to the adjacent Neponset II Park , and further south . The trail passes beneath RT 93 through an underpass connecting the two parks and continues south across Granite Avenue beyond Neponset II Park . Access to the Neponset River is provided at Neponset II via a new cartop boat ramp with reconstructed rip rap shoreline and incorporates a spray pool , walking paths , picnic areas , parking , shade structures , and open spaces for informal play . Historical interpretation is provided
Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook
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