Friends of Christopher Columbus Park (FOCCP) has used a $50,000 grant from funds the Commonwealth received from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to spruce up the park.
FOCCP along with the Boston Parks Department helped manage the parking, keeping it clean, and organized many events for neighboring communities and park goers.
The grant is issued on a reimbursement basis and can be used for projects through 2026.
“We are thrilled to have received this grant,” FOCCP President Joanne Haynes Rines said.
“In spite of the generous support of sponsors and members, there is one area of the park we have never been able to adequately attend to is the trees,” said Rines.
“Every year, we have some of them pruned and fertilized, but as they age, they need more and more care,” she noted.
“Now we can give it to them,” she said. “There will also be some minor maintenance issues, FOCCP can now afford,” she added.
A landscaping firm was hired to prune and thin some trees and lift the tree canopy by removing lower branches so that the crown appears higher and more compact.
The old oak trees along the trellis were fertilized and will be pruned next spring to simulate growth.
“Support of the sponsors and members allowed FOCCP to have the wisteria vines on the trellis gently cut back so repairs could be done on the trellis lights,” Rines said.
In addition to this much needed work, the 13-year-old bulletin board frame has been repaired and painted. A new bulletin board will be installed soon.
“Over the years, through much support, the park has been kept healthy and glowing,” Rines concluded.