Francis William Bird Park is an 89-acre park located in the center of a residential area in East Walpole, Massachusetts. Local and regional visitors have enjoyed its three miles of walking trails through pastoral and wooded landscapes, playground, recreation courts, and serene ponds for nearly a hundred years. The park was originally designed by John Nolen, in the 1920s, to be accessed by pedestrians. To accommodate the increasing number of visitors driving, the park was expanded in the 1950s to include an adjacent parcel of land along Polley Lane. As vehicular use became more popular, the Main Entrance to Bird Park shifted from the original, pedestrian Main Entrance on Washington Avenue to the entrance at Polley Lane. This entrance requires visitors to cross a road and walk on a steep dirt path that can be a barrier for some people in accessing the park. The Trustees has asked the Conway School to reimagine the arrival sequence of the park at the new main entrance to be safer and more accessible.
