Teaticket Park Phase I
Location: 205 Teaticket Highway, Teaticket
Applicant: Falmouth Conservation Commission, The 300 Committee, Community Preservation Committee
Allocation: $200,000
Year/Article: November 2011, A31
In 2011, The 300 Committee, dedicated to the purchase and preservation of open space in Falmouth, developed a plan for financing the purchase of the 10.7 acres on Teaticket Highway known as Joe’s Driving Range. The Committee applied for and received $700,000 from the CPFund, $500,000 of which was later returned to the CPFund upon receipt of a PARC grant.
Teaticket was in need of a neighborhood park. At the time it was the most densely commercially developed village in Falmouth, with the least amount of open space. 3000 people lived within ¾ mile of the property, and across the street were two complexes of affordable apartments for elderly and disabled Falmouth residents. The property bordered an Environmental Justice Zone neighborhood and linked to the grounds of Teaticket Elementary School. It included a severely degraded wetland linking to the larger wetland system feeding into Little Pond, identified by the Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP) as an embayment suffering from nitrogen overloading from its densely developed watershed.
The 300 Committee envisioned an urban park space on the site, with handicapped-accessible paths, benches and picnic tables; a boardwalk over one end of the wetland and an observation platform at the other end with educational signage; and ongoing restoration and preservation of the wetland and park grounds for birds, plants and wildlife. 3600 feet of paths in three main walkways – the meadow path, the wetland path, and the hillside path – would connect groves for seating, the picnic area, and an outdoor classroom. Invasive species would be removed and the park would be planted with native species such as Highbush Blueberry, Sweet Pepperbush, Swamp Azalea, Winterberry and Chokeberry. The streetscape would be planted with sixty-eight trees and include a twenty-four-car parking lot with three spaces for handicapped visitors.
The total budget for Teaticket Park was $2.25 million, $1.65 million of which was the cost of acquisition (Phase I) and $600,000 the cost of the creation of the park enhancements (Phase II). Financing for the acquisition of the property included a 300 Committee gift of $950,000 and the CPFund grant of $700,000 (net $200,000 after reimbursement of $500,000 from the PARC grant). The $200,000 CPFund grant allowed the Town to purchase and hold a conservation restriction on the property. The 300 Committee established an endowment, to be replenished as necessary, for park maintenance.