Published in the July 12, 2019 edition.

WAKEFIELD — The Friends of Lake Quannapowitt, celebrating 28 years of lake advocacy (1991-2019), are honored to share their plans for their gift to the town of Wakefield for the purpose of lakeside park improvements. The organization recently asked the town to accept a gift of $152,000 (plus a contingency if needed) for improvements to Col. Connelly Park and Gertrude Spaulding Park. Both parks are located next to the headwaters of the Saugus River on Lake Quannapowitt.

Ideas for the proposed updates, which were a year in the making, were presented to the Wakefield Town Council on Monday, June 24. Rick Stinson, the outgoing Director of Public Works added: “This is an opportunity to make a great park even better.”  FOLQ President Bill Conley thanked Stinson and his team, and stated that the work will commence this fall if all aspects of town approval are completed. The plan is expected to go before the Conservation Commission soon for review and approval.

Referencing the proposed donation, Bill Conley stated: “We are excited for the town. There will be storm water runoff retention areas and opportunities to support the mission of storm water management and education. This work supports the goals relative to lake water quality and it supports our mission to protect park land.” Committee member Jim Scott ended the group’s presentation with appreciation for all the years of working closely with the retiring DPW Director Stinson.

Conley provided details explaining: “The plan calls for a well, pump and irrigation system that utilizes ground water, additional loam and seeding of the area, and the removal of one seldom used small path. Then, we move to replacement of the remaining main stone dust path with bituminous concrete to enable snow plowing in winter and to prevent runoff and erosion in the beach area where the path connects to Quannapowitt Ave. A rain garden and a stone swale will be constructed as additional devices to manage water run-off.

Following discussion, the Town Council voted to accept the donation, provided the present plan is accepted by the Conservation Commission

FOLQ welcomes feedback from the community about this proposal. Comments and questions can be mailed to: mail@folq.org

FOLQ is a 501 (c) 3 voluntary non-profit organization. It is dedicated to its mission: “To promote public awareness and provide long-term protection and enhancement of Lake Quannapowitt and its surrounding lands.”