On Wednesday, April 8 th, the Friends of the Public Garden held their 45 th annual meeting. Over 150 members and neighbors gathered at the First Church in Boston to hear from the Friends and featured speaker Boston Parks Commissioner Chris Cook about the accomplishments of the past year and plans for the future. Open discussion and warm conversation made the 45 th Annual Meeting a successful update on the Friends.
The evening began with a greetings and updates from the Friends Board Chair Anne Brooke, and Board Directors Patricia Quinn and Jeannette Herrmann. Elizabeth Vizza, the Executive Director of the Friends, presented a summary of the work that the Friends completed over the past year. She began by thanking members and the Boston Parks Department for their contributions in making 2014 a successful year for the organization. This year, the Friends pruned 330 trees and protected 1,100 from disease. More than 30 sculptures in the Boston Common, Public Garden, and Commonwealth Avenue Mall were cleaned and two of the sculptures, the Leif Eriksson statue and the Robert Gould Shaw/54 th Regiment Memorial, underwent major masonry conservation work. The Friends also launched the off-leash dog program on the Common and continued improvement work on the Boylston Street border of the Public Garden. The $4 million multi-year Brewer Fountain Plaza and parkland renovation, the group's largest capitol project to date, was officially completed at the end of 2014. Ms. Vizza also outlined the Friends plans for the future, including working with the City to revitalize the Boston Common.
Parks Commissioner Chris Cook followed Ms. Vizza's presentation. He made note of the important strides that the Boston Parks and Recreation Department is making in the upkeep of the City's greenspaces. Cook's announcement that a second park maintenance shift will be added this next year, which will be stationed in the Boston Common, was met with applause. Cook also announced that the just-released Mayor's budget included funding to fix the sidewalk on the Tremont Street border of the Common in front of the Visitor Information Center, which for too long has been deteriorated with major and in places dangerous crack. He also spoke of the Mayor's commitment to Boston's parks and his vision for Boston to have the Number One park system in America.
Following his remarks, Cook opened the floor for a Q and A session. He shared valuable information in response to questions, which ranged from "When will the broken fence in the Common be repaired?" to questions about how parks management can address climate change. Cook stressed the importance of the relationship between the Parks Department and the Friends, quoting, "Many hands make light work."
The evening concluded with a reception where attendees mingled with fellow Friends members and discussed the topics of the evening.
