Our Vision
Our Vision for an Improved Ringgold Park
Ringgold Park, while a wonderful contribution to the urban South End, is still a work in progress. The Friends of Ringgold Park have been working for years to build our relationship with the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department and the community of park users and abutters. Working with our partners, we have developed a vision of a more beautiful, cleaner, and better maintained park that will be an amenity to the community and an enhancement to the neighborhood. The following areas are our focus:
Garbage:
Many park users eat in the park and discard food and food-garbage in the three trash cans in the park. Others use the cans for disposing of dog waste and used diapers generated by children visiting the playground. As a result in the summer when the park is heavily used the cans are malodorous, populated by flies, and frequently overflowing. The current open cans also are abused by some, as illegal disposal of household waste. Big Belly solar trash receptacles are necessary to tackle the high volume of trash generated by park-goers. We are one of the many eager city recipients waiting patiently for these highly effective trash cans. If a generous donor wants to purchase a Big Belly for Ringgold Park, the City will install it quickly and then continue to maintain it. The cost of a Big Belly is $3,200. If you’d like to make a big difference in the enjoyment of the park for the entire community, you can contact the Friends of Ringgold Park or Bernie Lynch (Bernie.Lynch@Cityofboston.gov) at Public Works. Donations to the Friends of Ringgold Park and the City of Boston are tax deductible.
Shrub beds:
The perimeter of the park, planted with ground cover and shrubs during the 1996 renovation, had become largely barren earth. Using grants from the City of Boston’s Small Changes Beautification Grant Program, as well as funds raised at our 2006 fundraiser, FORP installed new shrubs and irrigation in the fall of 2009. Low cast iron hoop fencing around the planting beds is required to protect the shrubs from abuses of trampling, soil compaction, and dog waste.
Playground:
The playground equipment is approaching the end of its lifespan of use; meanwhile during severe rainstorms in the spring of 2010 the swings foundation became unstable and they had to be removed. The Friends of Ringgold Park has requested that the Boston Parks and Recreation Department add new playground equipment to the Capital Improvement Budget for 2011–2012. We know that the Parks Department shares our sense of urgency and are hopeful that funding will be available to renovate the play areas in 2011–2012.
Center Circle Fountain:
Our supporters and park users have consistently cited the improvement of the Center Circle as their first priority. There is consensus that its current state is not its highest and best use. Through public meetings, and working closely with the Department of Parks and Recreation, we have developed a design for an interactive, decorative, Victorian-inspired, non-recirculating fountain. The Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund has committed $75,000 to the construction of the Fountain, and the City of Boston has allocated $225,000 in the 2010–2011 Capital Improvement Budget for the Fountain. The Friends of Ringgold Park must raise $160,000 towards the Fountain construction and maintenance costs. Visit our Projects section to learn more about the Fountain design and funding/sponsorship opportunities.