Speaking of Clark Park … it is bound to see a lot of use this holiday weekend. Some rumbling has started about people and pets being on the grass, which is starting to turn a little beige. The Friends of Clark Park posted signs near each entrance to the park asking folks to “give the grass a chance” for “several weeks.” But just today we saw a couple of parties there and lots of loungers, kids, etc. having a good time on the new sod.
We were hoping to start a conversation about this here. What should the rules be about the new grass at Clark Park? Would you be offended if you were asked in person to stay off the grass?
If that topic doesn’t float your boat, maybe you could share your thoughts about the changes at the park. We heard someone this morning say that the tables and chairs give it a “Europeany plaza” feel. Is that good or bad?
Leave a comment below.
July 2nd, 2011 at 4:41 pm
Well the way this is written shows a clear bia, sorry but it really does. That grass that is beige was actually turning beige before the fence came down. I remember thinking to myself “they kept the fence up long enough for the grass to die”. I am not the only person I have heard say that. The better idea, rather than penalizing families and friends socializing in the park, is to water the grass. Its time for the friends to back off. If approached I would likely reply politely that I have the right to be on the grass
July 2nd, 2011 at 4:43 pm
I love the new chairs (and that no one has stolen them)! The park looks terrific and, though I wasn’t crazy about the new design on paper, see its wisdom now. As for the grass: this has been a perennial problem with CP. It’s a heavily used park and often enough by people who do not have any particular relationship to grass. Perhaps rather than attempt, year after year, to turn it into a golf course, we might explore other kinds of ground cover to see if there are any more durable and ideally that don’t require chemical fertilization, mowing, etc.
July 2nd, 2011 at 5:19 pm
@Andrea. No bias intended. Really. I can see both sides of it. We were just curious what people were thinking.
July 2nd, 2011 at 7:51 pm
rittenhouse square ropes off “no grass” areas every spring. their maintenance and the patience of park-goers seems to be quite effective.
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:09 pm
The FOCP’s not really concerned about most people being on the grass. Picnicking, laying out, or walking doesn’t do a whole lot of harm. (Has anyone been going around telling people to _not_ do those things? I hope not.)
It’s the use that really pounds the ground that we’re concerned about. We’ve scheduled all large events to run in B park, south of Chester, and we’ve asked the Capture-the-Flag people and the volleyball players to relocate down there as well.
As for the grass dying, that’s not fun for us to see, either. It was starting to turn that way even before the fences came down. It does seem as though most of the beige-ness occurs in spots with less tree cover, so right now it looks as though the sun and heat are the main reasons.
We are working on finding out how to get grass to return to the Bowl, so we’ll probably consult with people about the Park A grass as well.
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:00 pm
Beige grass needs rain, not a discussion.
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:04 pm
They should rope it off if they want people to stay off, that would be a much clearer message. The signs are easy to miss and don’t have any dates, just “a few weeks”. Is that a few weeks from any time in particular? And does the grass get watered regularly? Cause it could be dryness that is turning it brown, not being walked on, as someone else pointed out.
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:21 pm
It says a lot about our community that people feel that polite signs to keep off the grass for the good of the park are such an affront. So much so that they’d rather see the grass roped off! It’s a real shame that trying to take a civilized approach meets with such an immature, selfish response.
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:39 pm
I think the signs are just right. Not prohibiting anything outright, just encouraging a gentle tread on the new grass for a little while. I’m enjoying the new park and grateful for all the work that’s being put into making it a welcoming community place!
July 3rd, 2011 at 10:32 am
FOCP lost few months this year to plant grass, they could do it late march/april, it was done almost as the last thing. A joke considering the heavy use of the park. Now it is kind of a notch too much to ask to stay away after having this park closed for ALL spring.
And sure enough- it needs water not being us away- the grass is not torn by volley or other games- it is DRY.
July 4th, 2011 at 9:51 am
1) We were just discussing the decision to plant grass on the East side of the park across from the farmers market. With all the traffic from the market (which is a very good thing!) and the shad there, it seems likely it will become a mud pit eventually. Perhaps a different surface could be considered there.
2) Where did the volleyball court go? It was a feature that was often in use. I’ve seen the players try to set it up in the bowl and the north park. I think there should be a spot for it, grass or sand.
3) I like the idea of roping off sections of the grass at a time like at Rittenhouse. That should keep visitors happy and the grass healthier.
July 4th, 2011 at 4:50 pm
volleyball should be moved to park C. that area would benefit from the foot traffic.
July 4th, 2011 at 10:21 pm
@Valerie: other than grass, what sorts of ground cover do people like to walk on or lie down on? People *love* the new grass; you can see it. But no grass can survive constant high-impact usage without careful horticultural design — & some kind of maintenance budget & practices.
@Miki: FoCP didn’t plant the grass; the contractor who carried out this project for the City of Philadelphia did. FoCP has no control over the timing of City projects (sigh).
@Lisa: a grant for redesign & reengineering of the Farmers’ Mkt is being pursued. FoCP almost got it last year, but not quite.
July 5th, 2011 at 8:12 am
@Tony: how many times are heard : city made this, city made that. Let’s call city to put the new grass on this new grass. There is an element of absurd if FOCP are the bosses when it comes to meetings, talkings, grant pursuing and most of all long discussions over latte but then all of the suddenn all things bad are : city and people walking/playing on the grass.
No other ways?
July 6th, 2011 at 5:50 pm
I would like to see the 43rd Street closed to traffic on market Saturdays and the Farmers Market moved to the street. That would save on wear and tear on the Park until FOCP is able to raise money for the redesign and resurfacing of the market area. The street doesn’t get so much car traffic, and 45th and 42nd are both two way streets so one closed block shouldn’t bother traffic that much. Who could make this happen?
July 6th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
I’m European. That central area does not have a “Europeany plaza” feel. The large expanse of gravel has more of a “parking lotty” feel.
July 6th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
Tony West: “But no grass can survive constant high-impact usage without careful horticultural design — & some kind of maintenance budget & practices.”
Isn’t that what you should account for when you design and build a park? Isn’t that what parks are for – for people to use?
July 7th, 2011 at 12:36 am
Tony West – YES
LW – It could have been fenced in for another month or two and still FOCP would be wrong. Parks are made for people to enjoy, true, but when you are starting from scratch people should respect that, and stay off the grass for a couple months, jeez.
Jacka$$es who set up volleyball – Too soon, way too soon. Like the parent group all on the turtle and pretty grass with their big blankets and way too many people.
Give the grass a chance…. why is that such a hard concept to understand?
July 7th, 2011 at 7:15 am
it is not hard to understand at all
months, well actually, years of planning that did not take this situation into account – are hard to understand
volley or children are not drying the grass, your bad timing with the whole renovation+lack of watering system is
July 7th, 2011 at 8:41 am
Yes, this is a case of bad planning and management of a project that was already running late. You then sneer at the stakeholders/parents/users and call them “jackasses” for showing up. The users just don’t know how to be grateful, do they?
I hope you’re nothing to do with FOCP.