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”
Category Archives: Flooding
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.
5 Years of FOA!!
Can you believe it’s been FIVE YEARS since Friends of Albemarle was founded by a small, committed group of volunteer residents and park users who wanted to ensure the accessibility and sustainable use of this incredible open space resource? It’s true! This community nonprofit, with hundreds of members from all 8 wards across Newton, hasContinue reading “5 Years of FOA!!”
5 years later…
Anyone remember wearing these stickers to City Council meetings? Looking back as Friend of Albemarle turns 5, I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish as a community!
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”
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 we can adapt…and it’s pretty cool to watch the progress.
Field Notes: Friends of Albemarle Winter Newsletter 2025
Dear Friends, A brief but link-packed mid-winter update: 1. Construction has begun on the fields! Woohoo! It’s been detailed in our local news, complete with aerial pictures, so linking directly to that: https://figcitynews.com/2025/01/construction-begins-on-renovation-of-north-side-of-albemarle-field We’ve heard questions about the mature trees, especially those magnificent oaks – we all love them, and the designs fully accommodate them, just so youContinue reading “Field Notes: Friends of Albemarle Winter Newsletter 2025”
Field Notes: Summer 2023
Dear Friends, Welcome to the summer edition of the Friends of Albemarle newsletter! The hawks are soaring, the baseballs are flying, and Gath pool is a glistening brilliant blue and doing the important work of keeping our community cool during these very hot days. (Which is increasingly rare, and precious, according to this interesting CNN article.)Continue reading “Field Notes: Summer 2023”
Water (and a car) Under the Bridge
Flash flooding caused a car to be swept into Cheesecake Brook today. No injuries were reported. It went under the footbridge leading to Gath pool, causing massive structural damage and leaving the bridge unusable. https://twitter.com/NewtonFireDept/status/1428397273067708427/photo/1 Requests had been made to replace this bridge within the next 2-3 years. I hope that timeline can be spedContinue reading “Water (and a car) Under the Bridge”
Friends of Albemarle 