NEWBURYPORT — For about a week, pedestrians, bicyclists and dogs have been cutting through Market Landing Park in what many might have considered a soft opening.
But with Monday’s special ceremony witnessed by more than 100 people, Mayor Sean Reardon officially opened the first phase of the park’s construction and expansion project to the public.
At the same time, the city was also celebrating the conclusion of the second phase of the nearby waterfront bulkhead repair project.
“These projects show an investment in making our city more resilient, beautiful, and welcoming to residents and visitors alike,” Reardon said. “Taking one look around the waterfront will show you that we have so much to celebrate here today.”
Among those in attendance were most of the City Council, former Mayor Donna Holaday, various city department heads and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton.
Onyx Corporation of Acton began work on the $6 million project last summer. Its efforts turned waterfront parking lots into new green space and park wings, flanking the east and west sides of the 4.6-acre site.
A new shared-use path was also built, connecting two phases of the Clipper City Rail Trail to the Newburyport Waterfront Trust-managed Central Waterfront Park.
Trellis swings, new Adirondack chairs, hammock-like structures and park benches were also added to the waterfront, thanks to a $200,000 donation from the Mary Alice Arakelian Foundation, $50,000 from the Institution for Savings and $40,000 from the Newburyport Bank Charitable Foundation.
Reardon said the Market Landing Park project has been a long time coming and has benefited from the work of countless city employees and volunteers.
“This effort was decades in the making,” Reardon said. “Sometimes, we say that a lot, but this absolutely was. When you review the whole history of events, it is really astonishing just how much work went into making this a reality.”
After finishing his remarks, Reardon handed the podium over to Moulton.
“This is a huge improvement,” Moulton said. “Thank you to all of you who have made this possible. This is a significant milestone for Newburyport. A project that represents not just a commitment to Newburyport’s future, but also to its historic past.”
The Salem Democrat, whom Reardon said was instrumental in securing federal funding for the bulkhead repairs, said there’s nothing like living on the coast, adding that it shouldn’t be taken for granted.
“This privilege that comes with being a part of this community also comes with the responsibility to preserve and protect it,” Moulton said. “We all know that the effects of climate change are becoming more acute and coastal communities like Newburyport are literally on the hook.”
The $5.3 million project saw Boston-based BTT Marine Construction raise the bulkhead’s concrete cap to address sea level rise.
The structure’s corroding anchor bolts and breaking mooring piles were also either repaired or replaced.
A combination of $2.25 million in federal community project funding, $1.75 million from the federal Economic Development Administration and a $1.3 million state Seaport Economic Council grant were used to pay for the project.
The first phase of the bulkhead project included repairs to the docks on the west side of the waterfront, as well as the fish pier on the east side.
It was finished in 2014 and Moulton said he remembered visiting a completely different area during his first campaign then.
The new bulkhead’s benefits are obvious, according to Reardon, who said Market Landing Park’s adaptive irrigation and better drainage features will soon be showing strong results.
“We show, in these two projects, that we can maintain our infrastructure and take on impressive expansions of our key assets at the same time,” he said. “We can make our city more beautiful and more secure against upcoming climate change, and we can honor our history while changing our landscape.”
Planning Director Andy Port oversaw the Market Landing Park project and said it gives people what they want.
“I was able to see people enjoying this (over the weekend). You couldn’t even get the picnic tables cleared off and people were jumping at them,” he said. “The swings were full and that’s what we wanted.”
Port added that he often felt like he was running an obstacle course while trying to complete the new park over the past 15 years.
“Sometimes, it was seemingly impossible but we were able to get it done,” he said.
Special Project Manager Geordie Vining organized the bulkhead project for the city and said the waterfront has become the “center of gravity” for the community and the entire region.
“Sea level rise is coming,” he said. “But we’re not quite ready to retreat from this public space.”
The first phase of Market Landing Park project had been in the planning stages for decades but the City Council didn’t approve funding until last summer.
The project was funded by a $3 million loan from the Community Preservation Committee, along with an additional $250,000 from the CPC’s fiscal 2022 funds.
The city took advantage of a $400,000 state Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities grant and an additional $1 million was donated by the Herman Roy Trust. Newburyport also received a $400,000 MassTrails grant from the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.
An added $294,614 was transferred from the waterfront parking fund in July when an additional $655,525 came from the Market Square culvert project.
Reardon’s chief of staff, Andrew Levine, said the second and third phases of the project would include additional landscaping, parking arrangements and gender-neutral restrooms.