Monday, April 6, 2009

"The city's plan is to beautify not renovate the park."

"This was about the same time Kathy's office received a call that the plants were blocking a pathway. I met with Kathy in the park and agreed that there is no path in the location identified and that plantings should continue following the city plans."

Below is historical evidence that those paths have and still do exist.

1877 Map (Fillmore at Bottom)

1967 Map (Fillmore at Right- Keeper's Cottage at Top)

1982 Map (Fillmore at Bottom- Keeper's Cottage at Right)
Just illustrates how the park has deteriorated in the last 25 years.

The paths are still there. If you dig down about 6 inches, you will find the level of old gravel. On a related note, there are concrete sidewalks at the backside of the park that are completely grown over: they still exist if someone would take the time to "restore" them by digging them out.

The question of restoration over beautification is not a black and white subject. It is not a question of one or the other. They go hand in hand. For example- one could restore the paths by putting new gravel over the places that have been neglected in the last 25 years. Having uniform walking paths throughout the park would serve in beautifying it by making it visually stimulating to the visitor. Doing this would also seek to cut down on areas that will need to be mowed as well as keeping vehicle traffic away from the areas where plantings are done. Without clear pathways, vehicles have a tendency to go around the park as they see fit.

1 comment:

Flowerova said...

Restoration IS beautification. Many historic urban parks throughout the country have been restored or rehabilitated to reflect their historic character - it's a very viable option. For a park in the center of an important historic district, NOT restoring historic features as part of beautification efforts can be damaging to the integrity of the historic district. The park's historic landscape needs to be properly researched and documented, then used as the basis for any changes or improvements the City makes to the park.