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Playground upgrades to Dorchester Park Playground

We're making improvements to Dorchester Park Playground in Dorchester.

We had a community workshop in October of 2019 and have been working to incorporate all of the amazing feedback we received from the community at this workshop and in an online survey. 

This design has been bid out and construction has started.  Posted in the related documents section below is a plan of the final design.  Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. 

  • Project location
    Dorchester Park
    2180 Dorchester Avenue
    Dorchester
  • Project contact
  • Project information
    • Project status: Construction
    • Construction budget: $400,000
    • Project features: Playground
    • Consultant: Copley Wolff Design Group, Inc.
    • Contractor: M. Neves

About the design

The design maintains the large climbing structure central to the playground. The older and younger children's structures will be replaced with new structures.  

Swings and ADA features

We will still have four bays of swings, but the bays are separated and re-arranged on site. There will be a single bay of swings with two toddler bucket swings closer to the 2- to 5-year-old play structure. A separate three bay of swings (located between the 2- to 5-year-old and 5- to 12-year-old structure will have:

  • three belt swings
  • an ADA bucket swing, and
  • a "Friendship Swing" that will allow two children to swing together or a parent and child to swing together.  

We are also adding an ADA accessible drum set to the playground. 

Connecting to nature

A key item we heard from the community was that the connection between the playground and nature is not made as much in the current play area. We took that to heart when we re-aligned play areas.

We now have a curved path that leads users through the formalized play area. The path connects to the mulch area around the "climbing rock."  Children no longer need to traverse the area behind the swing bays to get to this exciting nature play. This not only encourages children to reach out beyond the manufactured play area, but it keeps them safer and out of the swing area.

We have also added a wooden play frame in a mulch area. We're encouraging children to reach further into the natural areas and engage their creative play. Aside from new benches, there will be an ADA accessible community picnic table.

Upcoming meetings

Upcoming meetings

Community meetings archive

We place information on upcoming and previous meetings in the public notices section of Boston.gov. We'll update this page with new meeting information as it becomes available.

  • Project location
    Dorchester Park
    2180 Dorchester Avenue
    Dorchester
  • Project contact
  • Project information
    • Project status: Construction
    • Construction budget: $400,000
    • Project features: Playground
    • Consultant: Copley Wolff Design Group, Inc.
    • Contractor: M. Neves
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