I have been working with the Tri-Park Neighborhood Association, Little House, and the DCR to get a work-day going for Atheneum Park/Meaney Playground, and we’ve settled on Saturday, September 23rd, at 9 a.m. Anyone who wants to pitch in is welcome. It shouldn’t be too strenuous. Just some cleaning up, painting the playground equipment, maybe some bulb-planting. Reps from the DCR will be there to boss us around. They have been very cool, very helpful with this.

If you want more information, or whatever, feel free to contact me HERE.

HERE.

So, three of us (Leslie from Little House, David DiRocco, who owns a triple decker on Chase St., and myself) met with two reps from DCR (Margie Lynch, director of partnerships and Karl Pastore, director of the Harbor region) on Friday.

The DCR was able to get two grand from Ben Affleck in return for rights to film at the park. They are able to get matching funds for any contributions to the park, so there’s actually four grand for benches, a new coat of paint for the playground equipment, and a late-autumn bulb-planting. Karl also mentioned he would like to
check into new rubbish receptacles–not barrels, but those kind of mesh ones that are pretty common in parks these days. There was no commitment on this, however.

Karl said he would get some inmates on work-detail to scrape paint and prime the playground equipment. Margie suggested a gathering in late September, to paint it. Margie said it would not take many people to do it. Leslie said some of the youths at Little House might be interested.

As for broken fencing, they suggested if anyone knows any union construction workers, we might do some networking with them. If not, I’m sure we can work with DCR on it.

I asked about shrubs, and Margie said the DCR had nothing against the idea of some being planted, but that someone from the neighborhood would have to make sure they were maintained.

Margie encouraged the idea of a “friends of Atheneum Park” group to form a “friends of” partnership with DCR, but that is a matter of interest, organization, and commitment. I think a good first step is to set up a September work-day, and see who is interested in helping out and to what extent and in what capacity.

With just a little TLC I think the park/playground could be improved immeasurably. If anyone is interested you know where to reach me.

I am all set to meet with Margie Lynch and Holly Richardson of the Department of Conservation and Recreation the morning of August 18th. Margie also suggested I contact the Tri-Park Neighborhood Association, which I have done through a Yahoo! group, although I am wary of Neighborhood Associations in general.

The purpose of the meeting, which will take place in the park itself at 10:30 a.m., is to discuss some possible landscaping/beautification/maintenance projects for the park and playground. Anyone interested or with ideas is welcome to come, or email me here if you can’t but still want to give your two cents.

Just got this message from Margie at the DCR:

I just received confirmation that we’ve contracted with a landscaping company to do some work at Meaney Playground in the next few weeks.

DCR’s Regional Director who supervises this area let me know that he would be very interested in meeting with any groups interested in assisting us with maintaining the park. Perhaps we could all plan to get together sometime after the July 4 holiday (when our time frees up a bit here) to discuss how we might partner in this effort. It would be great to create some momentum from the landscaping work.

If anyone in the neighborhood is interested in getting in on this, please contact me here or at mmennonno@yahoo.com.

Another shout-out to Charles Swift for sending an interesting article from the Globe, from July of 1921, the year Dot’s first meeting house/free school/tavern, which used to stand on the plot that is now the Atheneum Park and Meaney Playground, was apparently razed.

The plot has not been mown since well before Affleck came to shoot a scene from his film there on the 25th of May. Before the rain this week, there was a bum-in-residence who slept on a bench there for two days.

On the 26th I wrote to the DCR, but have yet to receive a reply. This morning I did a little more research, and discovered that the DCR has plans for what it calls “friends groups” who will look after neglected plots like Atheneum, and hopes to establish public-private partnerships for their continued upkeep.

I have contacted Margie Lynch, Director of partnerships, to ask what our options are for Atheneum Park, and will keep you updated on them, too.

In the meantime, check out Edens: Lost and Found to see what cities like Chicago and Philly are doing to reclaim their urban “Edens”. We could do it here, too.