Malden Installs New Cooling Station Near Skate Park

MALDEN, MA — The city has completed a new cooling and shade installation at the city's skate park on 84 Willow St. next to Tartikoff Park, marking the latest phase of a regional climate resilience initiative aimed at helping residents stay safer and more comfortable and providing relief from hot temperatures.

The project includes a pergola with climbing vines, a solar-powered fan, new landscaping surrounding the skate park, and shade fabric installed along the park's fence. The cooling area was intentionally constructed on the sidewalk bordering the skate park near the MBTA's Route 105 bus stop, allowing both skateboarders using the facility and riders waiting for public transit to benefit from additional shade and cooler conditions.

Mayor Gary Christenson said the project demonstrates how relatively modest investments can make an immediate difference in public spaces that become significantly hotter during the summer because of large amounts of pavement and limited tree cover. City officials noted that areas such as skate parks, parking lots and sidewalks are especially vulnerable to the urban heat island effect, in which asphalt and concrete absorb and radiate heat, causing temperatures to climb well above those in nearby shaded areas.

The skate park improvements are Malden's second completed project through Wicked Cool Mystic, a regional partnership led by the Resilient Mystic Collaborative that works with municipalities throughout the Mystic River watershed to implement resident-driven solutions to extreme heat. The initiative grew out of the 2021 Wicked Hot Mystic project, during which volunteer community scientists collected thousands of temperature readings across the watershed to identify neighborhoods experiencing the highest surface temperatures during heat waves. Those findings were followed by nearly two years of community engagement led by the Mystic River Watershed Association and Climate Leaders from Malden, Chelsea, Everett and Arlington, with residents identifying where they experienced the most dangerous heat and what types of improvements they wanted to see in their neighborhoods.

As a result of that outreach, participating communities have spent this spring and summer constructing projects designed specifically around resident feedback. Those improvements include shaded bus stops, drinking fountains, bottle filling stations, new tree plantings, shade structures and other cooling features intended to make parks, sidewalks and gathering spaces more usable during periods of extreme heat. The initiative is funded through the Commonwealth's Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program, which supports municipal projects that help communities prepare for climate change and strengthen local resilience.

Mystic River Watershed Association Climate Organizing Manager Marisa Zampino said it was rewarding to see an idea generated through community engagement become a completed project that residents can begin using immediately. She noted that relatively simple installations such as pergolas and shade structures can be completed quickly while providing meaningful relief as summers continue becoming hotter across the region.

The skate park project also advances recommendations outlined in Malden's Climate Action Plan, which identifies reducing the city's urban heat island effect as one of its major environmental priorities. According to the plan, the city intends to continue expanding shade throughout Malden while pursuing additional climate adaptation strategies, including de-paving projects, cool roofs, reflective pavement technologies, expanded water features and continued investments in tree planting.

Those efforts have already begun. Malden has expanded its tree canopy by more than 600 trees in the past year and partnered with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council on its "Cool Communications" campaign to educate residents about preparing for extreme heat, recognizing heat-related illnesses and locating places to cool off during dangerous weather. The city also maintains an online Extreme Heat webpage featuring a map of cooling resources throughout Malden, including splash pads, swimming pools, parks and other designated heat relief locations.

Malden's first Wicked Cool Mystic project was completed in December 2025, when the city installed combination drinking fountains and bottle filling stations at Coytemore Lea Park, Lincoln Commons and the Community Gardens near Bryant Street. Officials said those improvements were also based on feedback gathered through the regional planning process.

Malden has joined neighboring communities Chelsea, Everett, Arlington, Somerville, and Revere in submitting a new regional application to the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program in hopes of securing funding for a third round of Wicked Cool Mystic projects. The state is expected to announce grant awards next month.

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