LETTER: My Day in the Park

My day in the park across from SMOC on Howard Street. 

This is a park with Nothing in it. No tables, no benches, no swings, nothing but grass and lots of shade. 

The owner of the park generously gave permission for us to install some picnic tables and a small flower/ vegetable garden.

(Framingham Selectman) Charlie Sisitsky and I picked up lumber for a picnic table, donated from Carby’s Lumber Co. on Hartford St.  A very generous donation from a local business. Please support your local businesses.

We dropped off the boards at the park and then Ray, Tina and Bobby who sometimes hang out at the downtown common started putting the table together using plans taken from the internet.

Ray carefully cut the boards using a saw.  

Bobby and Tina held the boards and then used a screw driver to put together the supports and the table top and the benches from the cut lumber. I just watched and supervised a little.  

I was impressed with the precision and carefulness with which they did their cutting and measuring and following the plans.

This was not an easy job. A lot of sweat and hard work went into it.

They really felt it was their table. They took ownership and said they will make sure nothing happens to it by checking it everyday.
 
A picnic table emerged from a stack of lumber. Amazing!  

It made them feel so proud. They said that they will care for it. 

As their friends came along the street, they called out “look what we built."

Folks that work at SMOC came over and sat down and said  "this is great, a table in a nice shady park that we can use."

It was a fantastic day for all. 

Friends were made, relationships were made. 

We did something very positive and we all felt great afterwards. 

In fact they said  "let’s get into the picnic table construction business."

The next step is to install the small flower/vegetable garden. They agreed to plant the flowers/vegetables, water them and pull the weeds, care for the plants.  Pretty soon they will be able to sell produce at the farmers market.

Please come and check things out, say hello to the folks that use the park. You might learn something about their lives.

Herb Chasan
Framingham Town Meeting member
Precinct 4