Richard Heath
This stone garden park was built about 1996 when Egleston Center opened across the street.
Egleston Square Main Streets Executive Director Luis Cotto got the call personally on Friday from Mayor Marty Walsh that Egleston Square had been awarded $2,700 from the Love Your Block program to beautify the stone garden sitting area at Atherton Street, Columbus Avenue and Washington Street.
"We'll be working with [the] Egleston Square Neighborhood Association to have this happen," said Cotto. "We'll purchase plants and flowers and organize a work day and art fair at the Stonehenge sitting area with artists and musicians."
"We also have enough for a little free library. We have artists who have agreed to paint the bookshelf and the Egleston Branch Library will donate books to start us off," said Cotto. "The crazy part is we got the acknowledgment call from the mayor himself. In a city the size of Boston with so many things going on it was pretty cool to get that call!"
Egleston Square was one of six Boston neighborhoods to receive grants. Another was awarded to Urban Edge, which received $1,770 to improve the Waldren Road sitting area at the Wardman Apartments.
"Love Your Block funding is going to have a meaningful impact in the Egleston Square as well as other Boston neighborhoods," said Walsh. "I am grateful to all of the members of the community who came together... on this local project."
AmericorpsVista will also be involved in the six neighborhood projects. Under the guidelines of the grant the work has to be competed by May 31, 2016.
City of Boston. Mayors Office photo.
Mayor Walsh personally called Luis Cotto of Egleston Main Streets to tell him the good news of the grant.
Richard Heath
The stone garden sitting area at Atherton Washington Streets will receive plantings and more from a Love Your City grant.
Love Your Block is a resident driven initiative of Cities of Service, a national non profit founded by Michael Bloomberg in 2009. Cities of Service works in partnership with the Corporation for National Community Service.