Dear Friends of Ringgold Park,There is a little chill in the air, the kids are back in school, and Halloween is just around the corner! We have some exciting progress to report in our quest to beautify Ringgold Park.
Landscaping and Irrigation:
Our long awaited new landscaping and irrigation will be installed in October! We are working with the City of Boston, reviewing bids and finalizing a schedule for the work. When the work is definitively scheduled, we will be publicizing the anticipated park closure of one week via e-mail and fliers.
Center Circle Fountain Project:
The Friends of Ringgold Park received $40,000 in this year's budget to develop detailed construction plans for the fountain we designed in our community-based process. The Boston Parks Department will be issuing a RFQ and initiating a process to identify a design firm. Most exciting is that we will soon be assigned a designated Project Manager by the city. In the spring we will be applying for additional grants to supplement city funding, as well as organizing some community fundraising to support the final project. One step closer!
Halloween Party on Saturday, 10/31 in Ringgold Park:
We need volunteers to run our annual Halloween event this year! It is a wonderful neighborhood party and a great way to get more involved with the Friends of Ringgold Park. Please note that this event depends on volunteer availability - our all volunteer board is maxed out and if no new faces are willing to take on this event, it will be canceled. Please email us at ringgoldpark@verizon.net if you--or better yet, you and a friend--are willing to take on this fun job!
Bike Racks:
As part of Mayor Menino's efforts to make Boston a world class bicycling city, bike racks are being installed across Boston, and one has been slated for Ringgold Park. The Parks Department has suggested two locations: along Hanson Street bordering the park, OR at the Ringgold Street gate. PLEASE email us with your preference at ringgoldpark@verizon.net within a week, if you have one! We feel that the Ringgold Street gate is a better location because of the wider sidewalk as well as its equidistant location between the two side streets but are happy to hear all opinions on this matter.
Annual Cookout:
We are sad to report that Hope House is unable to help us out this year with what would have been our 5th Annual Family Cookout. With their move to Dorchester and budget cuts from their state and federal grants, Hope House can't afford to do it this year. We hope that next year we will host an additional event during the year as we embark on our fundraising campaign for the Center Circle Fountain.
Other news:
The Friends of Ringgold Park is working with the Boston Park Advocates Network to build capacity and share resources and information among park friends groups. We are also developing a new website that will be a great resource for park users. We are always seeking new volunteers for a variety of roles: events, board membership, fundraising, cleanups, etc. If you can help us out in any way, please be in touch. Thank you as always for your support, and we look forward to seeing you in the park!
Claire Corcoran
President, Friends of Ringgold Park
ringgoldpark@verizon.net
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