Chapter 21 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 67. (a) The department shall administer a program for the rehabilitation and improvement of Olmstead parks in cities and towns of the commonwealth.  For the purposes of this section the term Olmstead park shall mean a state, county or municipal park, designed by the architectural firm headed by Frederick Law Olmsted and designated by the department as an Olmstead park. A city or town with an Olmstead park within its boundaries that desires state assistance to rehabilitate or improve the Olmstead park may apply in writing for a grant from the Olmstead Park Improvement Fund established in this section.

(b) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund, to be administered by the department, that shall be known as the Olmstead Park Improvement Fund to be used without prior appropriation for the purposes of providing rehabilitation and improvement grants to cities and towns with an Olmstead park within its municipal boundaries. The fund shall consist of public and private sources such as gifts, grants and donations, interest earned on such revenues and any funds provided from other sources. Revenues deposited in the fund that are unexpended at the end of the fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure in the following fiscal year.

(c) The department shall annually award a grant by a competitive grant process to qualified municipalities for an Olmstead park rehabilitation or improvement project within the municipality.