Residents, stakeholders and local and state elected officials join to officially break ground on Buttery Brook Park improvements.
Reminder Publishing photo by Tyler Garnet
SOUTH HADLEY — Residents, state and local elected officials gathered on April 8 to celebrate a groundbreaking event for the long-awaited Buttery Brook Park improvement project.
The improvements at Buttery Brook Park, located at 123 Willimansett St., will introduce several new amenities designed to make the park more inclusive and engaging for residents of all ages.
Planned improvements include four new pickleball courts, ADA-accessible playground features, a new bandshell for performances and events, a nine-hole disc golf course, a half-mile walking loop and the planting of 200 new trees.
The improvements will also include repaving the basketball courts, parking lot improvements and Wi-Fi.
The upgrades were made possible with a matching Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities grant. The town received a $500,000 grant in 2024 for the second round of improvements.
Before South Hadley secured the grant, they had to first get the match funding from Town Meeting. Over two separate town meetings, Town Administrator Lisa Wong said the voters approved approximately $900,000 under the condition that South Hadley receive the grant and reimburse the money.
Wong further explained that the last major investment into this park that the community was involved in was in 2013, with the addition of a bathroom, playground improvements green space and a spray park.
More recently, four pickleball courts were built at Buttery Brook Park in July 2022.
“It’s going to be amazing,” Wong stated about the upcoming improvements.
Buttery Brook Park was created in 1980 by South Hadley Parks Superintendent Joseph Taylor and has grown into a popular local spot. The improvements will elevate the popularity with a new concert space, better courts for potential tournaments and an outdoor space to do work on your computer.
The project was also made possible with funding efforts by Friends of Buttery Brook. Friends of Buttery Park President Kim Prough said the group has raised close to $200,000.
Prough talked about finally seeing improvements begin and the crowd of people there to see the project advance.
She said, “This is really amazing. We’ve got pickleball, we got disc golf, we’ve got sponsors, we got the Friends of Buttery Park, we’ve got [South Hadley Chamber of Commerce] we’ve got everybody here. We’ve got so many people to thank.”
Although the Friends of Buttery Brook Park have raised close to $200,000, Prough stated that there is still more money that needs to be raised.
“We do have a little more to go but you know you’ll all hear from me about fundraisers,” Prough said, “We’ve committed the funds to get this going. We’ve also committed $50,000 toward the project so you know it’s really been a labor of love to really see this grow.”
State Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow) and state Rep. Homar Gomez (D-Easthampton) were also at the groundbreaking event to discuss the significance of this project.
Oliveira thanked the local government, local groups and voters who wanted to see this project come to fruition. The grant is competitive, and he explained that it helps with the funding process when the project has the community’s support.
He also discussed the impact of this 21st century park and said, “The parks that we had when we were kids did not look like this. I think there are still splinters in my body from that wooden park [in Ludlow] and bruises and scars from it so to have a playscape and a facility that’s safe for children, safe for children of all stripes, if you have an accessibility issue, you can use this playground in an accessible manner.”
Gomez talked about how this park can also help with mental health.
He explained, “Mental health is real, and we are struggling and places like this one will help our community so thank you for thinking of every single detail. I wish I had this when I was younger; that I could bring my three daughters and use the computer at the same time.”
The renovations are expected to be completed in phases over the coming months.
