By Jane Peterson
The Boulevard
Emerging from a winter that was more mud than ice—more like three months of March–the path down the middle of Blackstone Boulevard needs rescuing, much as it did after a similar winter in 1998. Only this time, thanks to longstanding teamwork between the City Parks Department and the Blackstone Parks Conservancy, we’re starting from a better place than we were then.
Fourteen years ago, people walking or running on the boulevard were tripping over roots and rocks, and the complaints poured in. Parks Department landscape architect Fred Holman said that in places it was almost like “running in a ditch.” Except for some grading and topping with sand in 1984, the path had been in decline ever since the tracks’ removal following the trolley’s last run in 1948. There were so many dead and dying trees, according to an arborist called in by the Conservancy’s precursor, the Blackstone Park Improvement Association (BPIA), the park was doomed to keep deteriorating without dramatic intervention.
“That’s when we decided,” recalls then BPIA president Bob Murphy, “why don’t we try to stop the bleeding and make it better?” Then Councilwoman Rita Williams went after public funding for the path (and York Pond), the Parks Department came up with drainage plans and the idea of using stone dust to replace the soggy sand and clay mixture then commonly employed, and the BPIA opted to upgrade the natural setting. While the city took on the path, the conservancy began raising money for new benches to replace splintery ones and trees to fill the large gaps left by fallen ones.
Though people today remark that the boulevard looks better than ever, anyone who walks or jogs on the path notices the mire that’s developed in certain spots. There are far fewer such places than before, and the work beneath the surface has mostly held, but it’s time to repair those areas that puddle. With Parks Department approval, we’re exploring how best to upgrade the drainage in order to prevent those wet spots and we’re asking for estimates.
BPC will now endeavor to raise the funds through endowments and grants, and we will undoubtedly call upon the community for the best methods and materials. Please send any suggestions for the path and other projects to our web site.
The Blackstone Park Conservation District
In the Conservation District as well, we’ll be concentrating on muddy paths suffering from erosion, which would be almost impossible to do were it not for the Appalachian Mountain Club. Our partnership began in 1998, when Blackstone Park badly needed attention. Chris Shafer, Chairman of the AMC Trails Committee, offered to help the Friends of Blackstone Park and Boulevard, led by Anna Browder and Margaret Brookner.
This fruitful collaboration has continued to this day. The water bars and trail linings, the split rail fences protecting the bluffs, all of this work we owe to a longstanding partnership between AMC and BPC and the labor of many other volunteers.
We’re planning another year of our summer concert series, and we welcome your suggestions for performing bands and vocalists to invite.
Kindly send your East Side Market receipts to P.O. Box 603141. Last year we collected over $900 from this source alone.
