North End resident Nate Swain has been looking out for the trees at the City park on the corner of Richmond & Commercial Streets. A week ago, Nate sent in the following pictures, noting that 5 trees were dead and the remaining 9 were “bricked in” and having difficulty with irrigation. After a month and some calls to the Mayor’s Hotline, he was thankful that the City responded and cut down the dead trees. He was also hopeful the live ones would be “rescued” and the empty pits filled with new trees.
Today, Nate sends in a disheartening update:
I went down to check on the progress of what was being done with the cut down trees and noticed I spoke to soon about the City doing something right. The City decided NOT to plant new trees and put in the same white pea stone that they put around the other live trees in the empty tree pits. Now there will be white pea stone kicked and strewn all over the brick in no time. I know people cut across the park from one corner to the other so as they pass over the empty tree pits we all know the stone is going to go everywhere. Since my background is in Landscape Architecture I know all about health, safety and sustainability in the landscape. This stone can be like marbles on brick and you can possibly slip on it. If you remember we had the same problem in Christopher Columbus Park the first year until they swept up all the loose stone. I wish they used bark mulch or some other material instead.
I am so disappointed we went from one problem to another.
Maybe the company who owns or manages the apartment building next to the park could spring for the trees.I think it is a mixed income property with many of the apartments at market rate rentals and those tenants enjoy this park which looks like fenced in private property anyway.
The apartment Building–Christopher Columbus Apartments-is owned and managed by Peabody Properties. The apartments were originally constructed with financing requiring that it be for low income and/or disabled persons, but about ten or so years ago when the prior special financing expired and the company was able to convert the building to market rate, our local politicians negotiated an agreement with Peabody to reserve a number of the units for low income or disabled persons for the foreseeable future.
If one checks Boston City zoning, that plaza was originally (and still is, I believe) zoned as a dog park!
Maybe the dog pee is what killed the trees.
Fredda. I checked two zoning maps and nowhere does this space show up as a dog park. Share the link please.
Here is the BRA site designating Columbus Plaza as a Dog Park:
http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/pdf/maps/northend.pdf
Thanks, Fredda. If this space is still zoned as a dog park, dog owners should use IT and stop using the tot lots and other places ( CC park, the North End Greenway parks, the Little League field) to let rover to roam unleashed. Not all do owners do this but too many of them do. Maybe the North End dog group can work with the city or raise the $ to have this space fixed up as a useful/usable dog park. Bet Peabody Properties would rather fork up some cash to adopt the park and plant and maintain trees and flowers rather then see it turned into an active dog park. Hmmmm.
see what happens to trees when bikes are chained to them…
Huh?