What is the Sponge Park?

New improvements are coming to Saint Louis Park and the nearby Merrimack Riverfront! 

Saint Louis Park is located in Lowell’s Centralville neighborhood, on the Merrimack River, the VFW Highway, and adjacent to the Ouellette (Aiken St) Bridge. Home to well-loved baseball fields and basketball courts as well as underutilized space along the river, this park faces climate hazards such as extreme heat, poor air quality, and flooding. The design concepts propose strategies for mitigating these hazards while also improving riverfront experiences and investing in vibrant gathering spaces for Centralville and all of Lowell.

This project is led by the City of Lowell’s Department of Planning and Development in partnership with the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust. This project is supported by a $5 million EPA grant and a $920,000 grant from the Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program, a state-funded program that supports Massachusetts cities and towns undertaking projects to improve their resiliency to climate hazards. Phase 1 of improvements to Saint Louis Park are already underway—they include updating the existing playground and basketball courts. A Community Cookout will kick off Phase 2 of improvements, which will include expanding the park across VFW Highway all the way to the Merrimack River. More information on Phase 1 of the project can be found here on the City’s website.