forest-park-civic

New Mural Dedicated on Lenox Street

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 17:41:29 GMT

Have you seen the vibrant new mural that suddenly appeared on Lenox Street at the “X”? As you drive west on Sumner Avenue, your eye is drawn to the bright colors and images on your left. It’s yet another project installed by Common Wealth Murals (CWM) as part of the ongoing Portrait of a Graduate and Strategic Planning program that began five years ago. The images on the mural are based on writings and visual artwork created by Springfield Public Schools students in grades 1 through 12, representing the themes of Learn, Work, Lead, Persist, Communicate, and Thrive.

According to Britt Ruhe, CWM’s Founder and Director, the design for this mural was created by professional muralist, fashion designer, and CWM Project Manager, SELF, who incorporated the students’ work. The design was projected onto large panels of mural fabric to create a color-coded outline. Over a thousand students and community members at Sumner Avenue, Kensington, and White Street Schools, as well as other locations, used acrylic house paint to paint each panel. The panels were then installed on the side of the Caring Health Center’s new location at 479 Sumner Avenue, on a wall that stretches more than 80 feet along Lenox Street. The mural was dedicated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, September 9, by Mayor Sarno, Springfield School Superintendent Sonia Dinnall, CWM Director Ruhe, Caring Health Center President and CEO Tania M. Barber, Community Music School Executive Director Eileen McCaffery, and a host of other city, school, and state officials and community members.

So far, CWM has completed 12 smaller murals, each based on a single piece of student artwork, placed in schools including Alice B. Beal Elementary School on Tiffany Street in Forest Park. This Forest Park mural is one of three larger murals that incorporate the 12 winning pieces of Student artwork, with the other two being installed in the North End and Indian Orchard. The projects have received funding from the Barr Foundation, the Davis Foundation, the Springfield Cultural Council, and the Massachusetts Legislature. Ruhe said that when CWM approached Caring Health Center about using their side wall on Lenox Street for the Forest Park installation, they enthusiastically agreed, and it is by far the largest of the murals.

Britt Ruhe, Director of Common Wealth Murals, speaking at ribbon cutting ceremony, with SELF, mural designer and Project Manager on left and SPS Superintendent Sonia Dinnall in background.

If you're not familiar with the Portrait of a Graduate project, it began in September 2019 with community conversations held with over 4000 people: students, teachers, school staff and administrators, parents, and residents. The aim was to assemble a vision of what skills, knowledge, and attributes students need in order to be successful upon graduation. With funding from the Boston-based Barr Foundation, the information collected through those meetings was organized into the 6 pillars that form the foundation for a strategic plan that is being implemented now. For more information about the Portrait of a Graduate and Strategic Plan, see this page on the Springfield Public Schools website .

For a look at Common Wealth Murals’ process and some of their other projects, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CommonWealthMurals/ .

Funds Approved by City for Sidewalk Repairs in Forest Park

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 19:15:39 GMT

Last summer, members of the FPCA Historic Committee began noticing the use of asphalt to patch sidewalks. We decided to walk the historic district to determine the extent of asphalt patching. We concluded that asphalt patching was “used everywhere” and that it was not in keeping with the desire to maintain an aesthetically pleasing and historically accurate neighborhood. We shared our findings and recommendations in our Asphalt Sidewalk Report, dated December 2023.

Sidewalk improvements are not just a matter of aesthetics. We believe that safe and attractive sidewalks increase pedestrian activity in our neighborhood, leading to many benefits: increased activity improves our health, helps us meet our neighbors, and enhances our sense of community.

Earlier this year, during a meeting with the mayor to review our findings and urge timely replacement of “temporary” asphalt, we learned that parts of our neighborhood are not eligible for CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds, which could be used for new sidewalks. We were promised some funding and asked to provide a few addresses, but before we could follow up, we learned of the Neighborhood Enhancement Fund. The FPCA voted to seek the resources needed through this program to improve our sidewalks. A condition of the application was that neighborhood councils and associations partner with a city department, so we contacted the Department of Public Works, which is responsible for (but has limited funding for) public sidewalks. The total fund to be distributed throughout the city was $3 million.

We quickly reviewed the many streets in our historic district and other neighborhood streets to identify not only asphalt patching but also sidewalks in need of repair or replacement due to being cracked, broken, or uneven. We identified 135 residences for sidewalk improvement and developed a proposal.

Beate Bolen made us aware of a permeable material that can be used around trees identified as being lifted or uneven due to tree roots. Therefore, our proposal included our desire to work with Alex Sherman, the City Forester, to ensure that sidewalks lifted by trees are properly repaired using permeable paving material.

Our proposal was approved, but the estimated cost in our proposal was significantly higher than the $218,016 approved. We do not yet know if this means we were too high in our estimate or if we will be asked to prioritize which sidewalks will be repaired or replaced. We await further information from DPW on this and a schedule for when the work will actually begin.

Note: The FPCA also submitted requests for adding trees and upgrading tree belts and pedestrian areas in Forest Park to the City of Springfield’s Neighborhood Economic Recovery Fund program in 2023 and learned this spring that $251,122.85 has been allocated. DPW Director Chris Cignoli has been invited to the next FPCA meeting to update us on how and when these funds are being used.

Government Matters Episode 62┃MCAS Referendum - Ballot Question 2

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 16:54:48 GMT

In case you missed our Forum on Ballot Question 2 "Ballot Question 2 which proposes to eliminate the MCAS as a high school graduation requirement you can watch it here. This proposed law would eliminate the requirement that a student pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests (or other statewide or district-wide assessments) in mathematics, science and technology, and English in order to receive a high school diploma. Instead, in order for a student to receive a high school diploma, the proposed law would require the student to complete coursework certified by the student’s district as demonstrating mastery of the competencies contained in the state academic standards in mathematics, science and technology, and English, as well as any additional areas determined by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Thank you Steve Cary and Focus Springfield

Library News Fall 2024

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 19:24:38 GMT

It’s looking like a busy fall at our Forest Park Library, with events for children and adults of all ages. Go to the Springfield City Library’s calendar page at and select the Forest Park Branch to find dates and times for all kinds of activities: crafts like sewing and needle felting, jewelry making, games and clubs for teens and tweens, Girl Scout troop meetings, cooking classes, and story times for young kids.

You are also welcome to attend events and classes at the Main Library and any other city library branches, including special workshops presented by local organizations and city agencies on cyber-security in business, financial literacy, housing, Medicare, fall prevention, and other important topics. Take advantage of these great opportunities to learn – and to meet your neighbors!

The X Traffic Plans

Sun, 23 Oct 2016 17:52:18 GMT

The attached shows the latest conceptual plans for redesigning the traffic patterns at the X. For more information contact the Springfield Office of Planning and Economic Development or DPW.