News Archive
Playground renovation in 2012!
It’s our turn! The City of Boston Parks Department plans to renovate the two playgrounds at Ringgold Park next summer. Community meetings will be held this winter and we hope to get your input then on the design. Stay tuned for details and be sure to attend the community meetings so your input can be heard!
Construction delayed; scheduled completion in November
The construction of the Fountain in the center of the park has been delayed. According to the City of Boston, materials will be delivered to the work site the first week of October, and the project will be completed sometime during November. The unforeseen delay was caused by the manufacturers of the custom-designed fountain and engravers of the many engraved elements of the plaza. According to the City, the site needed to be dug up and investigated before the fountain and plaza could be ordered. We share your dismay at the current state of the park, but are anticipating a much-beautified park when all is complete. Like any home renovation, it’s been tough to live through, but we are confident that the end result will be worth it.
Post-construction cleanup!
Stay tuned — we will host a THOROUGH cleanup when construction is completed, and will need volunteers to help us weed and pick up trash. We’ll let you know as soon as it’s scheduled.
Paver sales closed
We are not selling pavers for the Fountain plaza anymore, but may again in the future. Email us and let us know if you’d like to be part of this effort by purchasing a paver in honor of a loved one, or to commemorate your business, school, or family. We are still selling one donor acknowledgement for the large drum which can be engraved on site. Contact us for more information.
The fountain is under construction!
As you will have noticed if you’ve visited Ringgold Park lately, the City of Boston has begun improvements to the center area — namely, the fountain that we’ve worked together for so long to advocate for! Construction started in June and should be complete by October if all goes well. With the support of many neighbors and friends, the Friends of Ringgold Park raised sufficient funds to upgrade the materials choice to granite in raised areas throughout the park. At this point we are unable to offer additional 8 x 8 pavers for donors to engrave. However, we do have one outstanding donor opportunity, and we’re hoping that someone chooses to become a part of our efforts by sponsoring a large granite drum for $5000. When the fountain is completed the Parks Department will host an opening ceremony in the park that we will announce when it is scheduled. Thank you to everyone who has supported our efforts — every donation was appreciated, large and small!
Due to the construction, Ringgold Park did not participate in the City of Boston Park Arts program which has taken place in past years. We are hopeful to be invited to join the program again in the future.
If you have questions or concerns about the construction or any other comments about Ringgold Park, please feel free to contact us at ringgoldpark@verizon.net. And as always, if you witness any criminal activity in the park, include public drinking or drug use, off leash dogs, etc., please don’t hesitate to call the Boston Police Department (dial 911), the Boston Parks Department (617-635-PARK), and/or Boston Animal Control Department (617-635-5348).
The Friends of Ringgold Park is seeking new board members and volunteers, so please drop us a line if you want to help out! We are working on organizing our Halloween party, volunteers are welcome.
Fountain Construction About to Commence
Exciting News!
The Boston Parks and Recreation Department anticipates that work on the new water feature in Ringgold Park will begin on or around the week of June 13th. More information will be provided when it is available but we wanted to let you know the exciting news! Details to follow.
Join the FORP Board!
FORP is seeking new board members! Anyone interested in getting involved, please contact friends@ringgoldpark.org for more information.
Center Circle Construction Begins Soon!
The construction of the fountain and plaza in the center circle will begin later in the spring and the park will be partially or completely closed for much of the summer. We will keep you posted with information as we receive it. Thank you for your patience and we look forward enjoying a more beautiful park with you in the future!
Learn more about the center circle renovation, sponsorship opportunities, and how you can help.
Fall Cleanup: New Date & Time
The late-fall cleanup, originally scheduled for Oct. 30, has been rescheduled for Sunday, October 31, 9:30–11:30 AM. Please update your calendars, and join us on Halloween morning to help beautify the park!
Capital Campaign for Ringgold
After years of advocating for the beautification of Ringgold Park with the City of Boston’s Parks Department and Mayor Menino, we have finally made it to the front of the queue. Ringgold Park has been allocated $225,000 in the City Capital Improvement budget to build a decorative fountain in the barren circle that is the focal point of the park. An endowed fund of the City of Boston, the Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund, has pledged another $75,000 toward the fountain, and also will maintain it in perpetuity. However, unless we raise additional money, elements of the design of the fountain will be swapped out for cheaper materials—primarily granite being replaced by concrete.
The Friends of Ringgold Park has committed to raising $100,000 toward the fountain and toward an attractive, low, cast-iron hoop fence to surround our newly planted and irrigated shrub beds. We are seeking corporate and individual sponsors to fund different elements of the renovation, and we also welcome smaller donations. If your employer or business might be interested in sponsoring part of the fountain for a permanent plaque in the park, please let us know. Also remember that individual gifts can often be matched through employer programs. We are prepared to be creative and flexible with our plaques. They can be given in memory of a deceased loved one, in honor of an individual, a family, an institution, or a company.
We need to let the City of Boston know what we can contribute by the end of this calendar year, December 2010. This is a unique opportunity to invest in the permanent beautification of our community Your gesture will be enjoyed for decades to come by a diverse segment of our neighborhood’s population. The fountain will be maintained in perpetuity by the Browne Fund.
Learn more about the center circle project, and please be as generous as you can.
Capital Campaign Launch Party
Sunday, September 19th, 12–3 PM
Come help us celebrate the launch of our capital campaign as well as our beautiful new web site. Enjoy Free Pizza provided by our generous sponsors, Upper Crust Pizza, and boogie to the dulcet tones of Alastair Moock and friends! You will have the chance to view storyboards of our finalized Center Circle Fountain design and learn about the decisions yet to be finalized on the design.
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