BUCKINGHAM POND PARK APRIL 20, 2006 TRAVERSE Buckingham Pond Park was created in 1994 as a result of our efforts, in cooperation with, then ,Alderman Harold Greenstein. Many improvements have been made to the park since then, including the addition of play equipment, North Side at foot of Colonial Ave, addition of pathways, and split rail fencing and efforts to improve water quality and remove invasive vegetation , by dredging and increasing the pond water level . Today's traverse reveals that the Pond Park is in need of considerable improvements. * West End bordered by Davis Ave and Berkshire. Litter everywhere, including in the water of the small holding pond. The spilt rail fence, Davis at Berkshire has been hit by cars and vandalized. Rails lying about and in need of restoration. Is the natural gas pipeline running along Berkshire Blvd at risk from terrorists: both foreign and domestic? The little bridge connecting with Milner Ave South is in need of repair. The flower pots at either end of the bridge need to be cleaned and planted. The lighting needs to be improved. The Lamp post by the bridge flickers off and on at night. A blue light emergency phone is needed here. * South shore bordering pond and Raft's Way has much litter and yard wastes. Some graffiti on lamp posts and other utility fixtures. * East End of Pond has graffiti on guard rails, litter along South shore bordered by Berkshire South, between Lenox and Euclid. The bulkheading along the lower pathway has to be completely restored. A stone bulkhead, with clean fill and plantings of Red Dogwood bushes, and other plants which tolerate wet feet, will stablize and beautify that section of pond path . * North shore of Pond from Euclid to Lenox - persons who walk small dogs in that section, consistly fail to clean up after their dogs. * Grove, North shore just East of traffic semi circle. Jack and City workers have this in pretty fair shape. Need more flowers about. The semi-circle needs to be re-blacktopped. * We need an inventory of trees and bushes, with recommended diversity of plantings to beautify as well as stablize the pond shore line. Considerable slumping and erosion is evident. Many of the old cottonwoods are coming down. * Improvement of water quality will depend on reducing and eliminating run off of road salt by the city, as well as fertilizer and lawn chemical run off from homes in the watershed of the pond. Otherwise, the pond will eventually die from eutrification. * The West End of the pond park bordered by Milner and Davis - should it remain a natural area (with some wildflowers and footpaths)? Adjacent homeowners on Milner should be canvassed to determine their wishes. * SECURITY is a major concern: it should be no secret by now that drinking, drug dealing, and more are common, particularly around the traffic semi circle, North shore, foot of Colonial; around the Milner Ave foot bridge and in the adjacent woods. We need better lighting, summer Police bike/foot patrols (at night, particularly on week ends) and we need . Blue light emergency phones should be installed at the Milner Ave footbridge, at the Colonial Ave traffic semi circle and on the South Shore, foot of Lenox. We have to enlist homeowners bordering the Park, and residents of Stonehenge Apartment, overlooking the Park to keep watch , especially at night, and to immediately call the West Station, APD when something suspicious is occurring. Look for drug dealers, at night, in traffic semi-circle area. Watch for local adolescents congregating around the traffic circle , Milner Ave foot bridge and West End woods, also at sunset or after dark. * The Buckingham Pond Park Committee will be beefed up during the coming weeks and we will look for them to come up with a Park Plan that addresses the above environmental and security issues. Anyone, wishing to serve on this committee should contact me at 438 5230. Thank you. Joe Sullivan, President BPCNA