Over the past five years, there have been several community initiatives to address the lack of youth programming and create safe recreational space in the Mt. Vernon St. neighborhood on Columbia Point. In the fall of 2006, the stakeholders who work with youth on Columbia Point formed a Youth Action Team to promote positive youth development by redeveloping the disused McCormack School recreational area and by developing the support for on-going programming and resources for the approximately 2,000 youth who live and/or learn in the Mt. Vernon Street neighborhood. 

As part of the process to solicit financial, political and other community support for the project, the Youth Action Team asked CDRC-Boston to find designer volunteers to provide conceptual renderings and site plans for the recreational area. The design team, composed of members from Chan Krieger Sieniewicz and Klopfer Design Group, worked with the YAT to create a preliminary concept that included renewed basketball and baseball fields, improved vehicular circulation and gathering areas, and outdoor classroom space for the use of the McCormack and Dever Schools.

On May 5th, more than 500 volunteers with City Year, including Columbia Point youth and other community members, supported the 100 Hours of Power featured service day. Activities for the day included clean up and repairs to the McCormack School field, creating a mural for the McCormack School, and other projects throughout the community. The CDRC-Boston design volunteers provided a display of the proposed master plan for the site that was generated during the first phase of their work with the Columbia Point Youth Action Team. The field revitalization has increased community use of the site and the sense of pride and involvement in the neighborhood environment. Future phases of CDRC-Boston volunteer work will develop preliminary pricing for the recreation area redevelopment and provide other support for grant-seeking activities by the Youth Action team.

< Back to Featured Projects and Programs