Watertown Park Opens With Sensory Garden for Visually Impaired

WATERTOWN, MA – The Watertown Riverfront Park and Braille Trail held its grand opening Thursday, as part of the governor's initiative to increase access to the state park system.

The park was designed by Sasaki Associates and Chester Engineers, who were supervised by the Department of Conservation and Recreation with the assistance of Perkins School for the Blind, and connects the community to the waterfront.

The Braille Trail is a quarter-mile loop within the park that wraps around a sensory garden, incorporating elements that emphasize touch, hearing and smell. The garden includes benches, stone walls, a canoe-like Mishoon boat and a musical marimba bench designed to look like a xylophone, where visitors can play music through the wooden slats.

The Braille Trail also has a guide wire to assist visitors with impaired vision. Different types of beads are placed along the wire to indicate the location of both Braille panels and seating; there are ten interpretive features along the trail written on granite posts in both English and Braille.

"Increasing access to the Commonwealth’s natural, cultural and recreational resources for people of all abilities to enjoy remains a high priority of our administration," Gov. Charlie Baker said in a press release prior to the park's opening. "I am excited for the opening of the Watertown Riverfront Park and Braille Trail, where visitors can appreciate the seamless blending of the park’s features with the natural surroundings for years to come."

The Watertown Riverfront Park and Braille Trail completes a critical link in the Charles River Reservation system, according to a press release. The $1.5 million project was a partnership between public organizations and private ventures; stakeholders include the Perkins School for the Blind, the Town of Watertown, the Bilezikian Family Foundation, the Solomon Foundation, the Watertown Disability Commission, the Watertown Community Foundation and the Friends of the Watertown Waterfront.

"The Watertown Riverfront Park and Braille Trail is a valuable recreational asset that will not only become an important resource within the community, but also the region as a whole," Lieutenant Gov. Karyn Polito said in the release. "This park will serve as a shining example within Massachusetts’ state parks system, and I am thrilled for the generations of people who will truly benefit from their experience visiting the Braille Trail and Sensory Garden."

The park is located at the intersection of Charles River Road and Irving Street in Watertown, two blocks away from the Perkins School for the Blind. A signalized pedestrian crossing sign has been installed to provide the public and the students at Perkins School safe access to the park.

"Providing access for people of all abilities to outdoor recreational opportunities remains a vital component for the growth and development of both the mind and the spirit for us all," Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton said in the release."The Watertown Riverfront Park and Braille Trail will serve as an excellent model for how parklands can be constructed in a way that allows us all to experience our natural world."

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