Update: Save-the-date for Tai Chi Classes in Symphony Park!
The Friends of Symphony Park are pleased to announce a series of free Tai Chi classes in the park for the 2011 season.
Funded by a generous grant from the Mission Hill/Fenway Neighborhood Trust, with additional support from Berklee College of Music and the Mews Condominium Trust, this 8 class program will provide healthy movement opportunities for seniors and neighborhood residents. Instruction will be provided by Sifu Huan Zhang of Huan’s Tai Chi and will take place in the park, located at the corner of Edgerly Road and Norway Street in the East Fenway. In event of rain, classes will be moved to Morville House, located adjacent to the park at 100 Norway Street.
Instructor Huan Zhang has twenty four years of experience in Tai Chi Chuan. He has done lectures, seminars and demonstrations at locations such as Harvard, Northeastern and MIT.
All are welcome to join – wear comfortable clothing and feel free to bring your water bottle. Restrooms and water fountains will be available at Morville House.
Classes will start Thursday, June 23 at 9:00 a.m. and take place every Thursday through to August 11th. Class dates are as follows: 6/23, 6/30, 7/7, 7/14, 7/21, 7/28, 8/4 and 8/11
Friends of Symphony Park is an all-volunteer group working to maintain Symphony Park. Special thanks to Berklee College of Music and the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department for their support of this program.
Symphony Park Revitalization
FCA has worked for the past 4 years with City and State officials, Parks Department and volunteer caretakers to improve conditions at Symphony Park, which serves as the primary open space for the seniors at Morville House in the East Fenway. In past years, we accomplished with Parks: Fence restoration and refinishing, sandbox removal, concrete trip hazard mitigation, tree pruning and grass restoration. In 2008, we received a grant from the New England Grassroots Environment Fund for $3,000 to restore perimeter plantings. These funds were matched by park partners for a budget of $6,000, and Morville House has added to the value of this work by replacing concrete benches and installing handicapped accessible tables in the portion of the park that abuts their property. The funds enabled the restoration of perimeter plantings in spring 2009, creating a more open, beautiful, and accessible park. Nearby Morville House and Church Park Apartments generously contribute to the maintenance of the park, ensuring that the new investments maintain their value.
This year, FCA has received project acceptance from Community Outreach Group for Landscape Design (COGdesign), a nonprofit dedicated to providing pro bono landscape design services to community organizations and neighborhood groups. COGdesign, engagedlandscape architects from Carol R Johnson Associates, and has been working with the community to develop a vision for redesigning this neighborhood park. The team is developing a community-supported design ready for permitting by the end of 2010. To learn more or participate in the community process, email Marie at FresherFish@aol.com.
Update: Our thanks to the dozens of neighborhood residents who participated in the community design process. As we move forward to turn our vision into a reality, we will look for your support in the form of outreach to city officials and boards. Check back here for updates on the next steps we will be taking!
See below for a draft plan representing the community’s vision for Symphony Park.
For a slideshow of “before” photos at Symphony park, see below:
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