Field Notes: Friends of Albemarle Newsletter Winter 2026

Dear Friends,  I was starting to think we’d have to become Friends of the Tundra, but I have it on good authority that the ground is under there somewhere. Construction: How’s it Going?Short answer: Fantastic! The contractors are hard at work and on schedule.  Scenes: On the Path to Pathways Gosh That’s A Lot ofContinue reading “Field Notes: Friends of Albemarle Newsletter Winter 2026”

Field Notes: Fall 2025 Newsletter

Friends, It’s a time of transition. Many of the beautiful leaves are still with us…for a little while longer. As are the construction vehicles.Field UpdateThe synthetic turf field was fully installed as of early October and supports play of all kinds. This is the only community synthetic turf access in Newton, and it’s exciting to see it getting regularContinue reading “Field Notes: Fall 2025 Newsletter”

First Days of the Synthetic Turf in Action

By mid-October, the new synthetic turf at Albemarle was in full swing, being used for field hockey, football, flag football, and selfies. Features a swanky cleat cleaner among other bells and whistles. This is the fourth —and likely final, for the foreseeable future— synthetic turf installation in Newton. It replaces the most heavily used grassContinue reading “First Days of the Synthetic Turf in Action”

Construction: views of Albemarle along Crafts Street

A literal snapshot in time of the ever-changing landscape of the Albemarle fields, paths, wetlands and flood mitigation project which is in the middle of Phase 1. With 12 months to go, the North field (seen here) is still expected to be playable by mid-September.

How drainage will work at Albemarle

Luis Perez Demorizi, Newton’s Director of Parks and Open Space, describes in the video above how the new flood mitigation system will work at Albemarle. In a big rainstorm, the water rushing downhill from Crafts St and Avery Woods will be caught and held in a basin under the field, where it will percolate straightContinue reading “How drainage will work at Albemarle”

Field Notes: Friends of Albemarle Spring 2025 Newsletter

Dear Friends,  Have you SEEN Albemarle lately? Because there is a LOT to see! We’ve got 7 things in particular: 1. Feats of Climate Engineering:https://friendsofalbemarle.wordpress.com/2025/05/12/albemarlengineering Work is underway to mitigate the effects of climate change by accommodating flooding under the field at Albemarle. It’s a fascinating feat of engineering that models the way for how weContinue reading “Field Notes: Friends of Albemarle Spring 2025 Newsletter”