It's the last old railroad spur in the city and councilor at large Sarafina "Sally" Collura wants to buy it and it turn it into a park.
This week, she asked for $500,000 from the city's Community Preservation Act fund to buy the Elm Street spur.
Collura said that a small park would be a perfect fit in the heart of downtown and would also benefit tenants of the Francis Cabot Lowell Mill Apartments next door.
Collura said as it exists now the old rail spur is an " overgrown weed-laden lot."
"I think it would be a whole lot better for them to look out their window and see a well-manicured, nicely lit park," Collura said yesterday.
Collura said it's also important for the city to buy the land as soon as possible because other old railroad parcels have been purchased and used to store construction equipment or as junkyards.
Community Preservation Committee tabled Collura's request at the Tuesday meeting. The city would have to have the land appraised and examined for hazardous materials because it is old railroad property, William Durkee, manager of the city's Community Preservation Act fund, said yesterday.
Included in the same batch of requests, Ward 3 Councilor George A. Darcy III has asked for $10,000 from the city's CPA fund for a feasibility study to see whether a boardwalk and walking trails can be built on a roughly 12-acre city-owned parcel near the northeast corner of Smith Street and Trapelo Road.
In his application, Darcy said the land has been designated by the Waltham Land Trust as one of the 30 most important open space parcels in the city.
Members of the Community Preservation Committee on Tuesday will tour the sites where CPA money has been requested. That same night they will convene at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall to decide whether to approve the requests.
The committee's recommendations must be approved by the City Council.
Money from the CPA fund can only be spent for historical preservation, open space and recreation and affordable housing.
Richard Conn can be contacted at 781-398-8004 or rconn@cnc.com.
