Rebecca Furgeson

As many afternoons as I’ve spent in the park, I’ve never seen anyone cleaning it up or working there. Rebecca Furgeson talked about all these aspects of the park that I had no idea existed. Her job is to be in the park every day and I’m sure if anyone knows what’s going on there, it’s her. I’ve heard bits and pieces of what the renovation includes but I trust her facts more than the hearsay. Based on what she said in class, I’m a little more at ease about the changes being made to the park. The pavement has been terrible there for as long as I can remember (and I grew up on 8th st). The west side of the park is only sketchy because not as many people pass through there since it’s just a side street. I have no complains about the lowered fountain area- in fact, I LIKE it. It’s perfect for skating and it allows performers to use the concrete border/seating around the fountain area as a stage. The trees aren’t as healthy as they could be and there are dirt patches in the grass- that can easily be fixed without shutting down the park. I don’t see why the fountain needs to be moved to the center and improved! It’s not like the water was ever on in there anyway… I think a lot of the changes that needed to be made (lighting, pavement, trees, grass, more seating) could have been made without closing down the park for the next few years. Moving designated areas of the park around isn’t NECESSARY.