ESNA Happenings

Hi everyone,

We have a lot of neighborhood activity the next week.

This Saturday of course brings us Halloween.   If you've never been in the city during halloween before, neighbors hang out on their stoops and greet kids at the sidewalk with goodies.   Join your neighbors and combine stoops and make a fun evening of it.   Remembering, being a Saturday the kids usually hit the sidewalks a little earlier than a week night Halloween.

Ringgold park will also be holding their halloween festivities from 4-6 on Saturday.   Setup begins at 2pm if you'd like to help out.   Contact ringgoldpark@gmail.com to help out, or for more information on joining the Friends of Ringgold.


On Sunday, November 1, Watson park will be hosting a cleanup.  (Corner of Taylor and Milford) Join people in the park at 11am to help rake leaves and plant bulbs for the spring.  Afterward we'll head to Berkeley and help them plant some bulbs... contact watsonpark @ eightstreets.org if you would like to get more involved with the Friends.


Tuesday, November 3 brings us election day.   Polls are open 7am-8pm.  Eight Streets votes at Cathedral High School Gym, corner of Washington and Union Park.   This is a city election, and only City Councilors will be on our ballot.  We will be voting on our District 2 councilor, and 4 Councilors at large.  Please make every effort to vote, as city hall sees low turnout as lack of interest in all things government.


Wednesday November 4 brings us an Alley Safety Walk-through.   We'll walk through ESNA Alleys with BPD officer Richie Litto who will tell us how we can keep our alleys and rear yards safer.   These walk-throughs have been successful and informative in the past, so if you have not yet joined us for one, please come along!  This year we will walk the Shawmut alleys between Shawmut and Ringgold/Bond/Taylor, ending up in Watson park.    Meet at the corner of Ringgold and Waltham by 6:30.  If you are an abutter let us know and we can visit your specific yard...

And of course pencil in Tuesday, November 10 for our monthly ESNA Business meeting.   Agenda to come out next week.   Visit our Calendar at any time for upcoming neighborhood activities

Welcome to Watson Park

Welcome to Watson Park.

We can finally say it.   The parcels that have been informally called Watson or Taylor Park for years, are now an official Boston Park.

The properties (both properties; all 5 parcels) have been transferred from the BRA to the parks department, and are now part of the Boston parks system.  The Parks department voted to accept the land back in August;  and this month the BRA has finally filed the deeds granting the land transfer.

Thanks to everyone involved in this multi-year effort; many who have worked hard behind the to make this happen.   Many, many phone calls; gathering signatures and petitions; attending countless meetings, and enduring the challenge of navigating through many city and BRA processes spanning two Mayoral administrations.

Through everyone's hard work the land is now an official park, ensuring it remains open space parkland in perpetuity.


We are working with the city to have some kind of ribbon cutting / ceremony in the park to officially recognize the establishment of the Parks.  We will post information when such an event is scheduled. In the mean time,  Watson Park will have a bulb planting in the park 11am on November 1st. A full park cleanup will take place during Fall Boston Shines (later in November).


If you are interested in becoming involved in the forming Friends of Watson park, please contact us and we'll pass your name on.


Watson Park is located at the corner of Milford and Taylor streets, and is named after the father of long time Taylor resident Charlie Watson.