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Danbury Unveils A Remodeled Kennedy Park In Time For Farmers Market

DANBURY, Conn. -- When shoppers arrive at the kickoff of the summer Farmers Market in Danbury on Friday morning, they will see a newly refurbished Kennedy Park. 

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and Director of Public Works Antonio Iadarola lead the ribbon-cutting at the newly redone Kennedy Park.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and Director of Public Works Antonio Iadarola lead the ribbon-cutting at the newly redone Kennedy Park.

Photo Credit: Karen Tensa
A new sign graces the western end of Kennedy Park in downtown Danbury.

A new sign graces the western end of Kennedy Park in downtown Danbury.

Photo Credit: Karen Tensa
A giant logo graces the center of the eastern end of Kennedy Park in Danbury. The park will host the city's Farmers Market, which opens for the season Friday.

A giant logo graces the center of the eastern end of Kennedy Park in Danbury. The park will host the city's Farmers Market, which opens for the season Friday.

Photo Credit: Karen Tensa
Kennedy Park is lined with fences and flowers. The park is located in the center of one-way streets by the bus pulse point in downtown Danbury.

Kennedy Park is lined with fences and flowers. The park is located in the center of one-way streets by the bus pulse point in downtown Danbury.

Photo Credit: Karen Tensa
Mayor Mark Bouhton and DPW Director Antonio Iadarola are flanked by flags at the ribbon-cutting for Kennedy Park.

Mayor Mark Bouhton and DPW Director Antonio Iadarola are flanked by flags at the ribbon-cutting for Kennedy Park.

Photo Credit: Karen Tensa
Yellow flowers fill the planters along the edges of the park.

Yellow flowers fill the planters along the edges of the park.

Photo Credit: Karen Tensa
A city workers does some last-minute weeding before the ceremony Friday morning at Kennedy Park in Danbury.

A city workers does some last-minute weeding before the ceremony Friday morning at Kennedy Park in Danbury.

Photo Credit: Karen Tensa
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and DPW Director Antonio Iadarola call for others to join them for the ribbon-cutting.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and DPW Director Antonio Iadarola call for others to join them for the ribbon-cutting.

Photo Credit: Karen Tensa

"We wanted to come down and celebrate the opening of the park and remember the contributions of President Kennedy to our great nation," Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said in greeting a small contingent of city workers and the public at a ribbon-cutting Thursday morning. 

The park, previously a tract of mostly trampled grass and worn paths, has undergone a $275,000 transformation, work paid for through city bonds, Boughton said.

"We wanted a gateway area to Main Street that is clean, that is neat," he said. "We hope the residents of the city enjoy the park and respect the work of the city employees and the contributions of the city's taxpayers."

The triangular-shaped urban spot is completely surrounded by Main Street, Kennedy Avenue and Elm Street near the pulse point for city and out-of-town buses. Many pedestrians cut through the area, and the park is also frequented by day laborers, especially on weekday mornings.   

The park hosts the summer Farmers Market, and the renovations were planned specifically for that use. The eastern end of the park is paved over and includes water and electricity hookups as well as landscaping designed to enclose the area. A black fence resembling the one at Elmwood Park, another urban green spot, encloses the area, protects the landscaping and guides pedestrian safely traffic to crosswalks. 

The concrete is designed to resemble brick, with a red coloring and a design stamped into it. One person in attendance called the designer "an artist" and pointed to a giant sunburst logo in the center with the park's name and location engraved in it. 

Antonio Iadarola, Danbury's director of public works, also spoke, thanking the city workers who designed and implemented the improvements. 

"This was a challenging project," Iadarola said. "We had to design a park that would protect pedestrians while allowing great access to the pulse point and to the park."

The site also offered a unique challenge because of the undergone utilities in the area as well as a culvert and drainage pipes for the Still River through the downtown area, he said. 

"It was all very, very complicated," Iadarola said. 

A second ceremony will be held at 11:30 a.m. Friday as the Farmers Market returns to Danbury for the fifth summer at this spot. 

The Farmers Market will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays through Oct. 1, except for July 4.  

At the event Thursday, Boughton also announced that the sale to a developer of the empty Amphenol property across the street from the park will close on Aug. 12. The city also plans to build a vest pocket park near the police station to honor Danbury officers who died in the line of duty, he said.  

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