July Newsletter – Parks and Plow Routes, Progress and Planning!

Celebrating Park & Recreation Month: Building Inclusive, Resilient Communities

July marks National Park & Recreation Month, a celebration spotlighting the transformative impact parks and recreation have on public health, social equity, conservation, and community vitality. Under this year’s theme — “Build Together, Play Together” — we honor the more than 160,000 full-time professionals and countless volunteers dedicated to making parks accessible and welcoming.

Why It Matters

• Community health & connection: Parks foster wellness, mental health, and lifelong social bonds.
• Economic & environmental impact: Local park agencies support jobs, stimulate billions in economic activity, and steward essential open spaces.

BETA in Action: Design that Delivers

At BETA, our decades-long commitment to parks & recreation shapes vibrant, resilient communities across New England. Highlights include:

• Inclusive master planning: In East Windsor, CT, we completed the town’s first parks master plan—prioritizing equity, connectivity, and ecological resilience by redesigning trail networks, wetlands upgrades, and improved active recreation access.
• Active mobility & trails: With over 40 years of experience, BETA’s multi-use trail networks integrate ADA-accessible greenways, boardwalks, bridges, and interpretive signage—promoting walking, biking, recreation, and equitable access.
• Community playgrounds: In Boston’s Paul Revere Park, BETA crafted a custom, inclusive playground—balancing safe play zones, native landscaping, and conservation of mature trees, complete with permitting and technical support.
• Holistic park & playground design: BETA’s parks & recreation design services include splash pads, athletic courts, skate parks, stormwater gardens, pollinator landscapes, and shoreline restoration—creating flexible, sustainable public spaces built to last.
• Check out more projects here.

Whether you’re revitalizing a single park or planning a town-wide recreation system, BETA is here to help you bring your vision to life—with designs rooted in sustainability, accessibility, and community pride.

Ready to start your next project? Reach out to Randy Collins, PLA, ASLA

Winter in July – Optimizing Plow Routes Together

It’s never too early to start planning for winter! We recently sat down with members of BETA’s GIS & asset management team, along with former DPW directors on staff, to explore how our plow route optimization services are helping communities enhance their winter maintenance operations.

From transforming hand-drawn maps into user-friendly digital tools to balancing routes for safety and efficiency, our three-phased approach is already delivering results across New England. 

Hear from the team about why this solution works.

Honoring Progress on National Disability Independence Day

July 26th is National Disability Independence Day, which marks the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 and celebrates the transformative impacts of the law. Over the past 35 years, numerous improvements in employment, public services, and infrastructure have been implemented because of ADA regulations, which guarantee that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as others.

At BETA, we take pride in our commitment to designing environments for all to enjoy. Our projects not only meet regulatory standards but also make a tangible, human impact in the communities where we live and work. Together, we are building a more inclusive world, one project at a time. Read about some of the ways our team is making a difference here.

Jump-Start Your Next Project with the LEAP Program

MassDOT has launched the Local Early and Actionable Planning (LEAP) Program to help municipalities—especially rural and underserved communities—jump-start transportation projects. The program offers planning and early-stage design assistance, including traffic and safety analysis, conceptual design, grant writing, and more. With $1 million available in FY26, communities can receive $25,000–$100,000 per project.

The LEAP Program is structured in a way that allows municipal staff to request the support they need for early-stage planning and design activities, including, but not limited to:  

• Conceptual Design and Alternatives Analyses, including hydraulic and geotechnical analyses
• Safe Streets Network Strategy 
• Design & Engineering for Smaller-Scale Projects, including Complete Streets program projects
• Federal Grant Application Development 
• Safety Analysis, including crash pattern evaluation
• Traffic Analysis, including traffic volume data collection
• Speed Studies 
• Cost Estimation 
• Visual and Mapping Support  

Municipal leaders may immediately begin requesting support through the online form.

Welcome to the Team!

Tom Newton joined the BETA team as a resident observer in our construction group. Tom has experience performing inspection services in Ware, North Brookfield, Spencer, Brookfield, Easthampton, and Holland, MA, as well as bridge inspections in Athol and Orange, MA.

Read to join our award-winning team?

BETA will challenge you with interesting work and offers the potential for growth and advancement. We are currently looking for talented staff across many of our disciplines in offices throughout New England. Browse our current job openings.

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