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Thursday, July 20, 2006
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Gregory Park freshening up Efforts to beautify valued community asset are ongoing Senior Reporter Laurie Murphy's children hopped from one painted paving stone to another.
The stones recently were painted by children and will be set into the ground in the young children's play area in Gregory Park. Last month, neighborhood residents with city funds and business sponsors added flowers, replaced shrubs, built benches and put up picnic tables in the park.
Additional plans include putting flagstone around the pool wall for the park's fountain, which will cover the blue painted surface.
Murphy, president of the Brainerd Northside Neighborhood Association, said a $1,000 grant from the city was supplemented by a $600 donation from Home Depot. About 30 neighborhood residents volunteered the hard labor and Home Depot sent 10 employees to help with the park project. Erickson's Greenhouse donated flowers and Northland Brick and Fireplace is donating flagstone for the fountain.
"It's such a huge asset to this community," Murphy said of Gregory Park. "People from everywhere use this park. We chose this neighborhood because of the park."
During a walk through the park during a weekday noon hour, Murphy pointed to a group of regulars who take a break from their jobs for a regular lunch gathering in the park. Another picnic table was filled by a woman and a number of children. People are in the park often playing basketball, watching their young charges on the playground equipment or relaxing on a blanket in the shade.
Volunteers put flowers in eight planters that flank park benches and constructed three more. Shrubs were replaced by the tennis courts and the gazebo was painted.
Murphy said looking into the park's history revealed a park that once had hundreds of roses in gardens.
"I have big dreams," Murphy said. "I'd like to see an irrigation system put in and more trees planted."
Home Depot provided the paving stones the children painted. Murphy applied for a $50,000 Home Depot grant for the park. The fountain has two pumps that are not working correctly. And Murphy said she hopes the efforts to beautify the park will attract other volunteers such as master gardeners or other corporate sponsors.
For now the neighbors efforts didn't end with the planting. Several residents who live near the park volunteered for the steady duty - particularly in the recent hot and dry conditions - of watering the flowers planted in June.
RENEE RICHARDSON can be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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