Jul 4, 2006 8:07 pm US/Eastern
Volunteers Keep The Esplanade Beautiful
BOSTON (CBS4) ―
With the Public Garden and the Arnold Arboretum, Boston has some of the most beautiful parks of any city in the country. That list also includes the Esplanade, an amazing maze of parks along the Charles River. Maintaining these parks can be a big job. State officials are now getting some help from a private group, The Esplanade Association.
Even though it's in the heart of a busy city, the Esplanade provides refuge from the 21st century. "The Esplanade is important to me because it's a place to come and bike, it's a place to come and run," said Trinidad Rodriquez of the Esplanade Association. "It's basically a retreat and an oasis in the middle of Boston."
The Esplanade stretches three-an-a-half miles along the Charles River. It begins at the B.U. Bridge and ends at the Museum of Science. Patrice Todisco is the Executive Director of the Esplanade Association. "When people think of Boston, they typically thing of that incredible view of the Charles River, the Esplanade park, and then Beacon Hill."
For the last 100 years, the Esplanade has helped define the Back Bay. The park has grown from a makeshift bandstand to a stage now televised across the country each year. Preserving and maintaining the Esplanade goes on every day.
Five years ago the Esplanade Association was formed to give the state a helping hand. Volunteers are key. "They paint benches, they plant annuals, they weed and water the gardens. You name it and they do it," Rodriquez said.
The Esplanade Association is also thinking big. They have raised money to rebuild a crumbling dock. They also pitched in to help create new baseball fields, just dedicated in honor of Teddy Ebersol.
Patrice is upbeat about the Esplanade's future. "It makes me feel really proud on the one hand that we still have this beautiful park in the city of Boston and it makes me feel really happy in a sense to understand that people care so much."
If you want to volunteer, visit the
Esplanade Association's web site.
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