Malden MA, October 4, 2026—The Malden River Works (MRW) team, Friends of the Malden River, the City of Malden, and the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) are excited to announce the grand opening of Malden River Works Park. The first-ever riverfront park in the City of Malden, Malden River Works was created by a coalition of community leaders of color, environmental advocates, and government stakeholders to bring a long-inaccessible river back to the center of Malden’s civic life.
A family watches the pontoon boat take off from the dock at Malden River Works Park. Photo: Isaiah Johnson
Over 300 people attended the Grand Opening celebration on Sunday, October 4th. The event opened with a blessing of the land and water by Thomas ‘Spirit Tree’ Green of the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag and featured remarks from community, city, and state leaders. Community members enjoyed live music and many family-friendly activities: pontoon boat rides from the Malden River Works dock, face painting, and a children’s storytime with Malden Reads.
Historically, the Malden River was a heavily industrialized area with very little access for residents. Malden River Works reopens the river to the public, protects the river’s habitat and shoreline, and enhances the area’s resilience to climate change. The new park includes a dock, native trees and plants, play structures, and more. Many park features, like rain gardens, underground drainage, and soil remediation, are designed to keep the ecosystem in and around the Malden River safe and healthy.
The Malden River Works project is a shining example of the long-lasting and durable change that can happen when community leadership is centered in planning. The MRW Steering Committee is made up of resident leaders of color working alongside environmental and government partners to set project values and goals, engage with Malden’s diverse communities, and monitor project outcomes. Since kicking off in 2019, thousands of Malden residents have contributed to the project vision and participated in cultural celebrations on the Malden River in anticipation of the new public park.
Malden River Works project team members, past and present. Photo: Isaiah Johnson
Malden River Works was the inaugural winner of the Leventhal City Prize from MIT's Center for Advanced Urbanism. The project was recognized for "making equity a central goal for resilience efforts," and developing physical design solutions that "do not reinforce existing inequalities and won't create new ones."
To date, the project has been entirely grant-funded, having received funding from 18 different federal, state, local, and private grant programs. Funders include the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Park Service (NPS), the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the Malden Community Protection Act, and an anonymous private donor. Federal funding was supported by Senator Ed Markey and Congresswoman Katherine Clark.
“Phase 1” marks the completion of the park’s horizontal construction. “Phase 2” will include building The Bayrd Boathouse in the park and a salt shed in the DPW yard.
QUOTES
“It is with great joy that I declare this brand new park open to Malden residents and the broader community. I am very proud that this project accomplished so many goals for Malden, from modernizing our DPW yard, to creating access to the river, to supporting our crew team, to solving flooding in the area. Malden River Works is truly a gem that the community will enjoy for years to come.” – Gary Christenson, Mayor of Malden
“Malden River Works is truly community engagement at its best. From the start, Malden community members shared ideas, made key decisions, and joined in activities that directly support everyone’s well-being…Now we get to enjoy this beautiful, climate-resilient green space and public river access, complete with beautiful tree canopy, pollution reduction, and smart stormwater management.” – Marcia Manong, Malden River Works Steering Committee Chair
“Malden River Works is such a special project because it brings together so many of our climate-resilience priorities. It protects critical infrastructure; it provides much-needed access for residents to the Malden River waterfront; it protects natural resources; it reduces runoff; and it will help support continuity of operations as our sea levels rise. We are honored to be a partner on this project, and we congratulate the community for getting it done.” – Katherine Antos, Undersecretary of Decarbonization & Resilience for the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
“The Malden River needs this. I remember when this all started on the back of an envelope. It was marked as an impossible project, and it has taken so many different facets of our community— organizations, community members, government officials, and of course funding—to make this happen. This is a keystone for the beginning of a true Malden riverwalk and a vibrant Malden River for the whole community.” – Karen Buck, Volunteer President for Friends of the Malden River
“I am so proud that MyRWA can say that we have long been a partner and a champion for this project. The Malden River Works has been a collaborative effort from the very start, with the voices of environmental advocates and community leaders of color front and center. This type of planning, where the people who will benefit from positive changes in their community guide the process, is an exemplary step forward for our watershed.” – Patrick Herron, Executive Director for the Mystic River Watershed Association
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