Kennedy School Playground Renovation

Due to the renovations at the Kennedy School this summer, parking along Cherry Street from Sartwell to Elm will be closed until the end of august. The travel lane will remain open during this project with just minor detours for a speed hump relocation.

Schedule: Work will begin June 19^th and continue through August 28^th

Work Description:

Phase I of the Kennedy School playground renovation project encompasses the renovations of the bus drop-off, parking, and the basketball court closest to Elm Street. The project will re-align the drop-off and reduce parking to be able to expand the existing playground in phase II of this project. Construction fencing will be erected around the perimeter of the parking, main entrance, and Cherry Street sidewalk to enclose the construction area, please see the attached plan for a routing diagram of this fence.

Construction access will take place primarily off Elm Street, with some deliveries arriving on large flatbed trucks that will drop-off along Elm Street. A rough phasing and work included in this project is as follows. They will Mobilize to the side on June 19^th and start erecting temporary construction fencing, followed by two weeks of demolition and removal of debris. They will then install all subsurface utilities. After that they will set granite curbing, pour sidewalks and pave the parking lot and new basketball court. After that any additional features will be installed over the last week of August while the concrete and asphalt cure, in preparation for school opening.

Impacts:

• Main Entrance Closure
  1. Because of this work, the main entrance of the building will be closed. The new temporary building entrance will be the entrance along Sartwell street that enters into the Cafeteria and Gym. Signage will be mounted directing people to this entrance.
• Drop-off along Sartwell Street
  1. Drop-off spaces will be reserved along Sartwell to accommodate drop-off for summer school.
• Reduced playground space
  1. The playground along Cherry street will be partially closed for construction. Access to the space will be available from the stairs down at the pool entrance, and through all building egresses along the playgrounds edge.
  2. The Tot-Lot playground in the back of the school will remain open and fully accessible.

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Join Us for the Next Public Community Meeting!
City staff invite you to attend a virtual community meeting for the Kennedy School Playground Renovations project.

This session will share a preferred design and get the communities input on this preferred design and the play elements proposed. We will also discuss the schedule and phasing of the project in this next meeting.

Date: Thursday February 26th
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Online (Zoom)

If you’re unable to attend, a recording of the meeting will be posted afterward so you can still share your feedback.

Meeting Registration:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aMlkYab8TaOkJ3aDROAOKg

Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids or reasonable modifications should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy in advance at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or ADA@somervillema.gov.

The City of Somerville can provide you with an interpreter in your language for free. To request an interpreter, please contact us at languageaccess@somervillema.gov or call 311 (617-666-3311) at least 7 days in advance of this event.

Kennedy School Playground Renovation Project Round Table Discussion – Inclusivity 6:00pm Friday 1/16

The Public Space and Urban Forestry department is hosting a round table discussion to review and discuss the type of play equipment proposed at the site and determine which features will accomplish the goals of making this space inclusive. This meeting will be hybrid, but attendees are highly encouraged to attend in person due to some of the limitations of the hybrid features of the space.

When: 6pm Friday, January 16^th, 2026

Where: Tufts Administration Building Atrium Conference Room (2^nd floor near room 204) at the Tufts Administration Building 167 Holland St, Somerville, MA 02144

Virtual Attendance Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_eers2xU7R0ySzGgrmmFFPQ

The Kennedy School PTA is hosting Coffee Hours in the Kennedy School Cafeteria Tuesday 1/12/2026 @ 8:30am, where the Public Space& Urban Forestry Department will be there to discuss the Kennedy School Playground Renovation project, and answer any questions.


Engagement to Date:

School-Based Engagement

• Numerous meetings with school administrators

• Preliminary presentation to school staff

• Shadowing teachers during recess to observe playground use

• Flyering at the school during various pick-up and drop-off times

Family & Community Events

• Tabling and sharing project information at multiple school events, including:

  • Back-to-School Night

  • Parent-Teacher Conferences

  • PTA Harvest Fair

    • Daytime event for students with additional needs

    • Afterschool full-class event

  • Holiday Concerts (Tuesday and Wednesday performances)

Community Meetings

• Community Meeting #1 (December)

Surveys & Feedback

• Teacher-specific survey

• Community Survey #1

• Community Survey #2, based on the first conceptual design

  • Nearly 250 responses collected

Funding & Advocacy

• CPA (Community Preservation Act) funding outreach

• Letters of support

CLOSED - 1/5/2026
Thank you all for taking the time to complete this survey, we received roughly 250 responses that we will now review.

Please take the second survey based on the first round of schematic designs!

Link Here: https://linktr.ee/KennedySchoolSurvey

The project team received great feedback, both at our first public meeting and through the first online survey. Thank you for helping us identify your priorities for this project! If you missed the meeting or want to see larger views of the plans, a recording is available on the right hand side of the project's SomerVoice page.

The three initial concepts presented are shown above. Since pieces of each plan can be combined in the preferred design, we'd like you to consider these plans as a "kit of parts." The following pages ask questions about how you feel each of several key elements works best.

Join Us for the First Public Community Meeting!
City staff invite you to attend a virtual community meeting for the Kennedy School Playground Renovations project.

This session will:

• Introduce community members to the project
• Share research and interviews conducted with school staff, public commenters, and city departments
• Present preliminary design ideas
• Gather your input to help guide the direction of the playground design

Date: Tuesday December 2
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Online (Zoom)

If you’re unable to attend, a recording of the meeting and a follow-up survey will be posted afterward so you can still share your feedback.

Meeting Registration:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7mRwJiz5QhmaWu_wXUcaYQ

Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids or reasonable modifications should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy in advance at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or ADA@somervillema.gov.

The City of Somerville can provide you with an interpreter in your language for free. To request an interpreter, please contact us at languageaccess@somervillema.gov or call 311 (617-666-3311) at least 7 days in advance of this event.

Take the Community Survey for the Kennedy Schoolyard Renovations!

We want to hear from you! The City of Somerville invites all community members to take the first survey for the Kennedy Schoolyard Renovations. Your input will help shape the design and ensure that the new schoolyard meets the needs of students, families, and neighbors.

Take the survey: https://linktr.ee/KennedySchoolSurvey

Translated versions are available to ensure everyone can participate.

If you have any questions, need assistance, or require the survey in another format, please contact the Project Manager, Jon Bronenkant, at JBronenkant@somervillema.gov.

Thank you for helping us create a better schoolyard for our community!