On March 19 at Bethany Lutheran Church, 30-plus enthusiastic residents from Beaumont-Wilshire, Alameda, and Concordia neighborhoods, including several board members from their respective neighborhood associations, showed up on invitation from BWNA to discuss possible future improvements to Wilshire Park and the launching of the Friends of Wilshire Park advocacy organization. The turnout was impressive given that the meeting came together rather quickly, with not enough notice for inclusion in association newsletters. First on the agenda was Yvonne Boisvert, vice president and one of the founders of the successful Friends of Peninsula Park Rose Garden, who provided advice on the organizing of Parks Friends groups. Attendees then divided into four discussion groups: 1) children’s play area (splash pad, upgrades); 2) native plants/wildlife habitat (enhanced aesthetics and foliage for birds); 3) walking/jogging path (bark chips vs gravel, maintenance); and 4) dog run area (fencing off of unleashed area, separate section for small dogs, dog drinking water source). The evening ended with reports on what transpired in each group and scheduling of a follow-up meeting that took place April 25.
The most ambitious proposal to date attests to the creativity, perseverance, and diligence of native plants/wildlife habitat chair Peter Mogielnicki, who planted the seed for his project a summer ago via a Letter to the Board editorial in this newsletter. With collaboration from fellow committee participants, Peter submitted a proposal for a grant totaling nearly $17,000 through the Community Watershed Stewardship Council for the purchase, planting, and upkeep of native plants.
Have any ideas? Interested in participating? Check out www.FriendsofWilshirePark.org. Announcements of meetings and activities are also posted on www.Nextdoor.com.