I

This was posted by ChelseaDPW on SeeClickFix:
"Polonia Park is scheduled to have some upgrades which will be completed by June 30th. Work includes repairs to irrigation, new sod & plantings and mulch. The contract is in the process of being signed and work should begin shortly."

...back in May/early June when I initially contacted them.

Richie C assigned this issue to ChelseaDPW

Thank you for posting. I couldn't agree more with the poster. As a community member that frequents the park multiple times daily, closing the entire park for the entirety of the summer is disappointing and unacceptable. Alternatives should be considered that allow access to one side of the park while they work on the other side. All weekend I walked by an empty park and cannot understand what the harm would be to keep an area accessible during construction. Perhaps you could use the zip ties and piece of plastic that is blocking the gate and use that to section off an area in the corner of the park to store the backhoe. Both objectives of keeping the people and the equipment safe can be achieved while keeping a space available for those of us in the neighborhood that frequent the park multiple times daily.
#SummertimeSadness

This is a Planning Dept. project. They apologize for any inconvenience the construction may cause while making investments in the neighborhood. Construction will continue through July due to the availability of parts. Unfortunately, we cannot open up only half the park as it could present a public safety liability to the city, residents and park users. We will raise the matter with the contractor in order to accomplish this renovation expeditiously.

It's not acceptable that residents were told in May/June that this would be completed by June 30, and that construction did not even begin until more than halfway through June. Clearly, the project was poorly planned, and residents refuse to feel the effects.

This communication this afternoon from the City Manager:

"The anticipated construction schedule is 4 weeks. The City has been in discussion with the contractor about separating the work area from the unimpacted portions of the park during those periods when the contractor is not on site (i.e. nighttime and weekends). The required fencing for doing that is on order. We hope it is here by this weekend, but if not this should be in place by early next week. This will allow for portions of the park to be utilized during the construction.

Tom A. "

But at the risk of pouring gas on this situation, and I say this as a Waterfront resident and dog owner, I have to say it sounds like some folks would have preferred no improvements whatsoever, or they think that this work could have been done in the dead of winter (it could not), or that there are no other, larger, better paying projects competing for the contractor's schedule other than a tiny park. I'm left puzzled...and a bit saddened by the tone.

So glad to see the City is working out a solution.
Engaged citizens that care about what’s happening in their community is a good thing. Taking initiative to better understand the details of a situation while trying to explore options and solutions that work for both sides is a widely-used, productive approach to problem resolution that is actually encouraged by this website. The whole “maybe there were other, larger, better-paying projects competing for the contractor’s schedule other than a tiny park” attitude is the exact reason people spoke up. Your gross generalizations and assumptions on intent are condescending, dismissive and unnecessary. If there is a tone to be concerned with…
For future reference, if you have to start off by saying something like “at the risk of pouring gas on this situation”, consider a moment of reflection to make sure your contribution is productive.

Richie-

Thank you so much for your time and effort with this matter.

I'm sorry you are disappointed that residents feel they deserve properly and expeditiously planned projects. To address your comment re: residents who would rather not have improvements - on the contrary. In fact, back in May, I and other residents inquired with the DPW about cleaning and re-planting grass, etc. ourselves for no cost except the reimbursement of some small supplies and seed. We as residents are invested in this neighborhood, and in that park. We truly don't have anywhere to take the dogs without it (I can tell you from personal experience that many people have been walking their dogs in the mulch behind the sidewalk in front of my house since the park closed), and we humans depend on it as a way to see and connect with our neighbors.

I am sorry you are "saddened by the tone," but we Waterfronters are saddened by an absence of proper planning and a disregard for our space, which is greatly neglected by everyone (including the city) but its dog-owners.

Regarding the other projects these contractors choose to take on: this should not be a concern of ours. It is the responsibility of the contractors, as well as the City Planners, to slate the appropriate amount of time for a project and be sure its pieces are in place before ground is torn up.

I am so happy to hear that I will be seeing my neighbors and dog-friends daily again starting soon. I've been truly missing that part of my day.