Norwood Residents Score Victory with Cooper Park
On May 9, 2025, Bernie Cooper Park was officially opened to the public!
Located in South Norwood, the park is accessible from St. Joseph, St. John, and St. Paul streets.
Visitors can enjoy views of the Neponset River and Hawes Brook, along with meandering rock-dust trails, benches, picnic tables, an outdoor classroom, and a natural play area.
A dedication ceremony marked the park’s official opening and celebrated the community effort behind this new public space.
And the improvements continue! In October 2025, volunteers from the King McNamara Moriarty LLC accounting firm in Norwood helped construct a wattle fence at the park. Read more.
Project History
On October 7, 2019, Norwood Town Meeting members unanimously voted to approve a warrant article authorizing the spending of $338,000 in Community Preservation Act Funds to purchase a 6.8-acre lot behind 84 Morse St., often referred to as the “Saints Lot.”
NepRWA partnered with the Town of Norwood, the Norwood Trails Advisory Committee, and various other stakeholders to transform the lot into “Cooper Park,” a scenic riverfront park along the Neponset River.
The Horsley Witten Group was retained to help with the park design and public outreach. A planning committee composed of Norwood town staff, Horsley Witten, Offshoots, the Norwood Trails Committee, representatives from Norwood Public Schools, local stakeholders, and NepRWA worked to finalize designs in January of 2023 and begin construction in 2024.
For more information, email NepRWA Greenways Program Director, Andres Ripley, at ripley@neponset.org
