Grant Will Fund Exploration of Boroughs Park System

Marlborough and three neighboring communities will work together to develop a potential boroughs park system to boost local recreational opportuniites. 

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council has awarded a grant to Marlborough, Northborough, Southborough and Westborough to work on the development of a regional park system. 

The four-community project is designed to increase open space and will explore potential private-public partnership opportuniites. 

Led by the Marlborough Economic Development Corp., the four communities requested the District Local Technical Assistance funding in May. The first step will be to determine the feasibility of the project, something the group hopes to accomplish by the end of this year. 

Marc Draisen, executive director of the MAPC, said the cooperative approach coudl become a model for regional partnerships going forward. 

“We commend the City of Marlborough for its bold and creative proposal for a regional park system and openness to collaborate with its neighboring communities,” Draisen wrote in a recent letter to Marlborough Mayor Arthur Vigeant announcing the grant funding.

The project also received funding from the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC), whose coverage area includes Northborough and Westborough.

MEDC, a chartered economic development corporation that works to foster economic development, job growth, and community revitalization in Marlborough, helped organize this project because a park system would bring a higher quality of life to those who live and work in the area.