New Off-Leash Program in Works for the Boston Common

New proposal asks dog owners to take a more active role in maintaining the park.

Boston Parks Commissioner Antonia Pollak says the biggest complaint she gets about the Boston Common, outside of the homeless people who hang out there, is unleashed dogs.  Indeed, in a tightly packed residential area like Beacon Hill, the Common is the only nearby space with enough room for dogs to run – and there are roughly 10,000 of them living downtown. But this practice unleashes not only the dogs, but many neighbors' fury as well. "It's not balanced now. It's not working," Pollak said at a meeting last week with residents eager to hammer out a new and lasting off-leash policy for the Common. A city ordinance prohibits dogs from being untethered unless they are in a specified off-leash area. Currently, that area on the Common is …

• Photos (1)

PHOTOS: Kids Make History on the Boston Common

The third annual event brought the public park's history to life for students.

Monday morning The Friends of the Public Garden hosted schoolchildren from across the city at the Boston Common for Making History on the Common. The event brough 7,500 years of Boston history to life. Children saw how the public park was used to raise sheep and cows, they participated in Native American dancing, played games kids would have played three centuries ago, saw weaving demonstrations, were placed in stocks and saw Civil War re-enactments. For more information go to www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org

• Photos (4)

Boston Schoolchildren Make History on the Common Today

The third annual event brings the public park's history to life for students.

From The Friends of the Public Garden (edited): The Friends of the Public Garden will bring 7,500 years of Boston history to life at a special event today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Boston Common called Making History on the Common. Children from all over Massachusetts will have the opportunity to look at a Fishweir, participate in Native American dancing and play games that youngsters in the 18th century would have played. There are historic interpreters describing how the Boston Common was used during the colonial period and sheep and cows grazing in the Common just like they used to do centuries ago. Children will have the opportunity to be placed in stocks to see what punishment was like in colonial times, see weaving demonstrations and…

• Documents (1)

The Friends of the Public Garden Moving to Beacon Street

The office will move from 87 Mount Vernon St., where it has been for 9 years, to 69 Beacon St., on the corner of Charles Street, directly across from the Boston Common and the Public Garden.

The following is a press release from the Friends of the Public Garden: Patti Quinn, Vice President of The Friends of the Public Garden, the 41-year-old citizens organization that works to preserve and enhance the Boston Common, the Public Garden and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, announced today that its office will move from 87 Mount Vernon Street, where it has been for 9 years, to 69 Beacon Street, on the corner of Charles Street, directly across from the Boston Common and the Public Garden.   Sovereign/Santander Bank has made the move possible by donating the space to the Friends.  The move will allow the modest expansion of the staff and the added supervision required for the renovation and enhancement of the Brewer Fountain Plaza on …

• Photos (1)

Photo of the Day

PHOTO: Getting Ready for a Fall Opening

Sidewalks on the Boston Common were pulverized this week in preparation for repaving.

Asphalt is ground up to be used as subbase material in the repaving of part of the Boston Common. The process saves material and money, and also means less truck traffic through the Common. "The trade-off, however, was that we needed to fence off the entire project site, rather than doing the construction in two phases and keeping the diagonal path open from Park Street station up the hill toward Beacon Street, a well-used path through the Common. We appreciate everyone’s patience!" the Friends of the Public Garden wrote in their blog. 

• Photos (1)

Latest Phase of Boston Common Renovation Expected to be Complete in October

A springtime delay stopped the project for nine weeks.

After an unexpected nine-week delay this spring, the Boston Common renovation project is moving forward with the latest phase expected to complete by mid-fall. "We hope to be out there for a tiny pilot season this fall," Elizabeth Vizza, executive director of the Friends of the Public Garden, told Patch today. The Friends are financing and executing the project on land owned by the city's Parks Department. The total cost is $3.5 million, Vizza said. The delay happened after the MBTA asked the Friends to stop work because of concerns about construction over the shallow green line tunnel, Vizza said. Although engineers hired by the Friends had investigated the issue before work began, it took a while to get all the permission from the MBTA, …

• Photos (7)
• Documents (1)