Park Conditions Are Shameful
Neither park, however, has exclusivity on demise. All parks in the City have deteriorated into shame.
Recent exceptions include Bucks Hill Park (formerly Montoe Park, which enjoyed a much-needed and complete makeover. The work was done entirely beyond the coffers of the City. Even still, this park almost immediately began a journey to rot. Partially due to vandals, partially due to lazy and inconsiderate people who can't figure out that parking on the grass is in fact causing punishable property damage, the park has shown signs of pre-mature aging.
The main culprit, however, is the lack of maintenance. More than just mowing and week-wacking is needed to keep parks pristine. In the grand scale of things, only a very minimum effort and cost will presserve beauty and functionality for decades. Park goers must respect the park, their neighbors, and themselves in order to continue to have a great place for recreation; specifically, those who use the softball field must learn to park in the parking lot and expend a little effort to walk to the fields, as opposed to parking on the grass along the roadway.
The other exception is politician-favored Bunker Hil Playground. It's amazing how the natural decay of this park is nearly immediately fixed by City crews. The self-funded Fulton Park should be the leader in this category, but the endowment seems to disappear without benefit to the City.
To the Mayor's credit, many of the parks have enjoyed a much-needed quick cleanup recently. His PAL program, which he started years before his recent post, has done much to help the parks (and other projects).
The abuse at Lakewood Park is also a daily ritual. However, parking on the grass areas of the parking lot is largely moot at this point since the condition of the asphalt is mirrored by the condition of the "lawn" - making the two surfaces nearly indistinguishable. The sidewalk which runs through the park (formerly a roadway when the park was one of New England's oldest amusement park), hasn't been resurfaced since abut half-way through the reign of the Aviglianese Sports Club sponsored Italian festival of years past - an event which attracted reportedly 1.2 million people per day at its pinnacle.
East Mountain Park is touted as one of Waterbury's finest-kept recreation spots. It, too, has been at least partially funded outside of Brass City municipal money.
The naysayers consistently criticize area residents as being the ones who cause damage. Largely true, there are exceptions. There is a little secret going on at one of our parks. A nearly unique attraction is enjoyed regularly by many die-hard fanatics of a particular sport. Although it is unknown who committed this act of unauthorized park alteration, it seems logical that the individuals who enjoy this sport are likely the ones to have acted outlawfully. An unnamed individual or group took it upon themselved to create a cement platform into which a fairly standard gas grill has been footed. Yes, they cemented part of the legs and wheels such that the gas grill will become a long-term resident of the park. Practically hidden in plain sight, this can easily be seen from the nearby street - if you know for what you are looking. Similarly, make-shift benches have been created using recycled lumbar and re-purposed logs.
The location of this clever monument is only known by few, and is not being revealed here in an effort preserve this work of unsightly but functional art.
Recent exceptions include Bucks Hill Park (formerly Montoe Park, which enjoyed a much-needed and complete makeover. The work was done entirely beyond the coffers of the City. Even still, this park almost immediately began a journey to rot. Partially due to vandals, partially due to lazy and inconsiderate people who can't figure out that parking on the grass is in fact causing punishable property damage, the park has shown signs of pre-mature aging.
The main culprit, however, is the lack of maintenance. More than just mowing and week-wacking is needed to keep parks pristine. In the grand scale of things, only a very minimum effort and cost will presserve beauty and functionality for decades. Park goers must respect the park, their neighbors, and themselves in order to continue to have a great place for recreation; specifically, those who use the softball field must learn to park in the parking lot and expend a little effort to walk to the fields, as opposed to parking on the grass along the roadway.
The other exception is politician-favored Bunker Hil Playground. It's amazing how the natural decay of this park is nearly immediately fixed by City crews. The self-funded Fulton Park should be the leader in this category, but the endowment seems to disappear without benefit to the City.
To the Mayor's credit, many of the parks have enjoyed a much-needed quick cleanup recently. His PAL program, which he started years before his recent post, has done much to help the parks (and other projects).
The abuse at Lakewood Park is also a daily ritual. However, parking on the grass areas of the parking lot is largely moot at this point since the condition of the asphalt is mirrored by the condition of the "lawn" - making the two surfaces nearly indistinguishable. The sidewalk which runs through the park (formerly a roadway when the park was one of New England's oldest amusement park), hasn't been resurfaced since abut half-way through the reign of the Aviglianese Sports Club sponsored Italian festival of years past - an event which attracted reportedly 1.2 million people per day at its pinnacle.
East Mountain Park is touted as one of Waterbury's finest-kept recreation spots. It, too, has been at least partially funded outside of Brass City municipal money.
The naysayers consistently criticize area residents as being the ones who cause damage. Largely true, there are exceptions. There is a little secret going on at one of our parks. A nearly unique attraction is enjoyed regularly by many die-hard fanatics of a particular sport. Although it is unknown who committed this act of unauthorized park alteration, it seems logical that the individuals who enjoy this sport are likely the ones to have acted outlawfully. An unnamed individual or group took it upon themselved to create a cement platform into which a fairly standard gas grill has been footed. Yes, they cemented part of the legs and wheels such that the gas grill will become a long-term resident of the park. Practically hidden in plain sight, this can easily be seen from the nearby street - if you know for what you are looking. Similarly, make-shift benches have been created using recycled lumbar and re-purposed logs.
The location of this clever monument is only known by few, and is not being revealed here in an effort preserve this work of unsightly but functional art.