'Legacy of neglect' lives on for parks

`Legacy of neglect' lives on for parks - The Boston Globe

Above is a link to a letter written in response to this op-ed by Stephen Burrington, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Basically he says that the DCR doesn't need more money.

The letter to the editor that I wrote didn't get published by the Globe, so I'll publish it here:

Later this month, thousands of people will converge on the Charles River for the Head of the Charles regatta. As someone who sees the river almost every day, I am not sure why the DCR would discourage additional money for our state parks and infrastructure (A new path for state park system, Oct 3). Tourists will watch the regatta from bridges crumbling into the water below that the state has failed to maintain. They will notice missing bricks and the cracks where weeds have grown three feet tall this summer. Spectators might drive past the Brighton DCR swimming pool decades overdue for a major renovation. Or they might drive down DCR’s Birmingham Parkway and see the greenspace that has been taken over for a local construction project. Although visitors won’t know about the DCR’s Charles River Master Plan, many residents wonder why so little of this 2002 plan has been implemented, especially in the Allston section where many will watch the rowing.

While waiting for the repairs, maintenance, and capital improvements badly needed for the river and its surroundings, I will be one of many people strongly supporting a dramatic funding increase for our state-owned urban parks.