The vote last week by the Revere City Council to authorize $5.5M bonding for the refurbishment of Harry Della Russo Stadium is long overdue and needs to be commended.
In these tough times to spend money on re-doing a park may seem like a project that can be put on hold until better times. We know that there is a list of problem areas that must be fixed like the sewer lines and to some these repairs must take priority.
However, it is this type of rationale that leads to a diminished quality of life for all the residents of our city.
Public outdoor space is perhaps the most valuable asset that a City like Revere can have and should maintain.
In the neighboring city of Everett, Mayor Carlo DeMaria has made it a priority to put public parks improvements on an equal par with other repairs like streets and sidewalks.
The repairs to Della Russo Stadium will include a new field house, a regulation track, new lighting, field turf, new bleachers, a new concession stand and bathrooms, two new basketball courts and new fencing. In this day and age when so many of our youth teams like Pop Warner or High School teams visit other cities’ facilities, the difference is immediately noticeable. Many of these municipalities have spent millions on improving their outdoor public parks and playing fields.
This commitment by the city officials to spend this money and as Councillor Richard Penta said, “do it right†is a step towards making Revere a city where the children who use these playing fields today will want to stay and raise their families in Revere tomorrow.
