By Alberto Suris
Located between Mt. Vernon St. and McCarthy Rd., in Lawrence, is this beautiful park, which would be more attractive if it were properly cared for, despite the fact that there are two signs pointing to those responsible for their up keep.
The park was adopted by The Mt. Vernon Garden Club, which was disbanded more than a year ago, according to Wayne Hayes during his stay in Lawrence last summer. By the way, it was Wayne and his wife Kathy who, before moving to Florida, gave maintenance to the flower planter in the corner every year. The second sign indicates that J. Brian’s Pub & Grille has adopted this park and they are responsible for mowing the grass.
Former Councilor Roger Twomey showed displeasure seeing the photos of the park showing the state of abandonment at this time. It was Mr. Twomey, while he was a member of the council, the founder of the idea of beautifying the parks. He visited countless local merchants, requesting support for his idea and committing them to adopt an area that would be selected later.
In this park’s case, Mr. Twomey is under the impression that J. Brian’s Pub & Grille is responsible not only for mowing the lawn, but for arranging the flower planter. “I’ll call him,” Mr. Twomey said adding, “He’s a serious person and I trust him.”
As for the pile of dry branches, they come from a pine growing at the end of the park, which since the first snow storm last winter, have been breaking and falling on top of each other. “I can take care of them; there’s no problem,” said Lance Hamill, DPW Park Supervisor. According to Hamill, if J. Brian’s is going to hire a gardener it will cost him a lot of money. “I’ll call him to see what he’s going to do. The first thing I’ll do is remove the signs,” he said.
