A major landscaping project that costs $230,000
will continue this summer at High Rock Park and
will convert the unsightly park into a community park.

Built in 1905, after it was destroyed by fire in 1845, the tower is quickly becoming a number one destination stop for Lynn residents. Schools in the city are hoping to take advantage of the telescope that is mounted at the top of the tower, and tours can be arranged through the city.

Community Development project manager John Moberger said utility poles that run from the base of the tower towards Essex Street will be removed after contractors’ bids are open and reviewed.

Neighbors are getting into the action too. A neighborhood sponsored cleanup was scheduled for June 6, followed by a night of star-gazing under the sky.

The tower was widely neglected by city officials due to a lack of funds. But, back in 1996, the city secured enough money to start a restoration project to restore the tower.

The restoration project, however, is nowhere near completion. Long-term plans for the park and tower include the restoration of the stone house at the base of the tower, along with a staircase that will ascend the tower. Moberger and Community Development, the group overseeing many of the projects, said they hope to place an amphitheater on the Essex Street slope.

There is no timetable set for when any of these projects will be done, but neighbors said they are just happy that the tower and the park are being looked after and reclaimed from a teenage hangout to a family park.