Park News: Autumn 2002
HILLS POND
At the request of the Town, the Friends contracted with Aquatic Control Technologies of Sutton in late May to treat Hills Pond for an infestation of Curly Pondweed – an invasive plant that was able to flourish in the absence of the Eurasian milfoil that was eliminated last year. An algicide was also applied.
HILLS POND WALL REPAIR
MJM Masons of Lexington finished re-building the pond retaining wall in July. Replacement of the fieldstone wall, first built as a WPA project in the 1930’s, was paid for by a combination of Town and grant funding. Our thanks to Ben Reeve and Clarissa Rowe for their invaluable and diligent assistance during the project.
The wait for appropriate cement for the pond wall cap resulted in the masons hydroseeding the pond wall area and Centennial Grove in mid-July – a less-than-ideal time – just as the midsummer dry spell began. Many thanks to the fourteen Friends’ members who volunteered to keep the new grass watered and more thanks to the Maier and Mattheisen families who allowed access to their water supplies.
In accordance with an agreement with the Conservation Commission, the Friends replaced the seven buttonbushes lost during the demolition of the old pond wall. An additional thirteen wetland shrubs purchased from New England Wetland Nursery in Amherst were also planted pond-side in late July – including additional buttonbush, swamp azalea, elderberry, spicebush and American cranberrybush. Special thanks to planting volunteers Dianne Schaefer and the Kalauskas family.
SUMMER EVENTS
The annual meeting of the Friends of Menotomy Rocks Park was held on June 9th. New Board member Eileen Eisele was welcomed and departing long-time board members Denise Long and Ben Reeve were thanked for their many contributions to the Park.
Once again, the Friends of Menotomy Rocks Park and the Arlington Center for the Arts co-sponsored an outdoor Shakespeare production performed by the Trinity Repertory Summer Shakespeare Project. With Hills Pond a perfect backdrop, the July 23rd performance of “The Tempest” by a talented, energetic troupe of players made for a lovely summer’s evening entertainment.
FALL PROJECTS
The water level of the pond is extremely low – a result of the mild, almost snowless winter and the long summer dry spell. Plans are underway for N. Sacca & Sons of Arlington to repair the broken water line from the well to the pond, and repair or replace the pump for the well water. MJM Masons will be returning to do some anti-erosion and drainage work as well as some pathway repair work along the southern edge of the pond.
Please mark your calendar for Sunday, September 22nd – 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. Volunteers are needed to help clear some of the invasive plants in the park – especially around Hills Pond. Wear garden gloves and old clothes and bring pruning shears or garden saws to help cut down buckthorn, Japanese knotweed, multiflora rose and oriental bittersweet. Folks with shovels can help dig out roots – or weed the daylily garden at the Jason St. entrance.