A Walk in the Park (#13)

It is such a busy time in the park! Everywhere you look there are new additions and completed projects. It is clear Joe Sardo and his team are working hard to prepare everything for the grand opening celebration. September 8 seemed so far away when the date was first announced, but now it is almost here!

When I was at the park earlier this week, new grass was being planted. Seeing those spaces covered with straw was one more sign of progress and brought a big smile to my face. The seed mix includes a quick-growing rye that will pop up and look nice right away while helping to slow erosion. The Field Fescue in the mix takes longer to germinate but, by spring, we will see a beautiful carpet of green. After months of seeing lots of dirt work in these areas, more green in the spring sounds lovely.

I also had the opportunity to learn about watering in the park this week. Stephanie Peters patiently showed me how to operate the UTV and the water tank trailer and explained where and how to water. There are a LOT of plants in the park! Though I knew this from my walks, I didn’t really appreciate the extent until I was trying to get them watered! Fortunately, as Stephanie explained, many of the plants are natives and won’t require constant watering once they are established. I love how forward-thinking the park team is in every area.

Though I don’t have a ‘for sure’ I’ve heard a rumor that there may be a park workday before the grand opening. I certainly plan to be there for that and to volunteer on September 8, as well. I hope many of you will be there to help when you can. I know we are all looking forward to officially welcoming our community to the park!