The unofficial, though formerly appointed, Strategic Planning Committee for the Restoration and Protection of Fountain Park released a report at the Town Council meeting on Monday, April 21. The authors of the report, entitled “The Historical Identity of Fountain Park: Serviceability is Key” contend that Fountain Park is a vital community gathering place in Chestertown, which is in need of an action plan to safeguard its assets.
According to the committee, “the continued health of the park’s lawn and trees is at risk.” The planning committee seeks to “develop an incremental long term plan for park restoration and maintenance” while maintaining “a formal park landscape design” and “the historic identity of the original town square that will continue to help define and ensure the vitality of the downtown business center and the community’s gathering place.”
The report commences with an assessment of the condition of the park’s resources and subsequently outlines a plan to restore and protect the park’s assets.
The major issues with the park concern unsuitable levels of soil compaction, which is negatively impacting shrubs, trees and turf, poor regulation of pedestrian flow, poorly defined park entrances, and problems with park serviceability pertaining to inadequate irrigation and electrical systems, ineffectively placed seating, and inoperable accent lighting in the trees.
The committee’s plan to restore the park was outlined in three phases, which include a fiscal year 2014 planning phase, a fiscal year 2015 restoration phase, and future plans for maintaining the results of restoration.
For fiscal year 2014, it plans to “approve and negotiate implementation of the proposal between the Town of Chestertown and South Fork Studio Landscape Architecture, Inc., for the analysis and written recommendations for work that will be done in Fountain Park.” The work will include analyzing soils and trees, and creating specific recommendations that can be used by a contractor to bid and perform work to relieve and avoid future soil compaction, amending the soil, and seeding and sodding.
Furthermore, specific plans to assess the total cost of changing the park’s hardscape, electrical, lighting, and irrigation systems are outlined. The committee also intends to govern nonprofit participation in the market, assess alternative options to house the market during construction, and find ways to police areas assigned to managers of special events.
In the fiscal year 2015 phase, from September through November of 2014, the committee plans to move forward with restoration of grass and trees, and includes plans to relocate special events and the farmers market during this period.
The committee concludes its report by outlining cyclical needs, including maintaining the health of trees through pruning and fertilization each July, re-conditioning the lawn each August or September, and reassessing the health of grass and trees each April.
The Strategic Planning Committee, an unofficial entity whose members were appointed by Mayor Cerino, produced the report. The committee includes: Nancy McGuire of the Downtown Chestertown Association and The Historic Commission, Nancy Butler of the Downtown Chestertown Association’s Curb Appeal, Owen McCoy of the Farmers’ Market, Wanda Gorman of the Artisans’ Market, Kees deMooy of the Planning Commission, Linda Kuiper of Ward 2 and the Town Council, and Nora Carey, Michele Schweikle, and Barb Macbeth of the Chestertown Garden Club.
Ron Moore says
Very well written article!