With groundbreaking set to begin in early summer, the Beacon Hill Nursery School (BHNS) plan to open a 2,500 square-foot outdoor playground in time for next school year that will allow young children the opportunity to explore nature without leaving the city.
“We’re taking a piece of the city and turning it back to the earth,” said Lucinda Ross, the school’s director. “We’re bringing nature back to children and providing a place where they can find nooks and crannies to see grass grow.”
Among the features of the BHNS Outdoor Playing Space are a green house, water pumps and a spray feature, a sculpted log and various learning spaces, including a “music path,” where children can learn to interact with music. A slide will be built into the side of a hill to incorporate its natural surroundings, and new green elements include vegetable gardens and plantings to attract butterflies. Various sitting areas will be located throughout the playground.
“The idea of the playground is open-ended play,” said Bill Creelman, director of the project and the father of a 3-year-old daughter at the school, Addison. “There will be features like blocks and sand, as well as trees and plants, that can be interpreted in many different ways.”
Completion of the playground will also be the final step in making the school compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA).
In the fall of 2007, Mayor Thomas M. Menino donated the land for the playground to 74 Joy St., the site of the school. Parents donated the seed money to BHNS for the learning space soon afterwards, setting the stage for the design phase of the project.
While Ross said the final cost for the playground is undetermined at this time, the school is now conducting Campaign 55, its capital campaign which is expected to pay for the project at least in part.

The Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) board voted unanimously last week to designate up to $5,250 to launch a matching funds program to plant new trees in the neighborhood, supporting an earlier recommendation from its Tree Committee.
According to Tree Committee Chair Linda Cox, residents who want to participate in the program would directly contact the Boston Parks Department and pay $375, half of the $750 cost of planting a new tree. The remaining $375 would be paid from the BHCA General Tree Fund upon receipt of a statement from the Parks Department. Under this arrangement, up to 14 new trees could be planted, on a first-come first-served basis.
To request the planting of a tree under the BHCA matching funds program, residents should call the Parks Department at 617-635-7275.
Since November of 2006, the city has planted 75 new trees in the neighborhood at the request of the committee, but it currently has no money for spring planting due to budget cuts.
Meanwhile, the committee will undertake an assessment of trees on Beacon Hill in May, which Cox said is the best time to determine if they have survived the winter.

On March 6, "Coffee and Conversation" brought Gov. Deval Patrick together with about 80 area residents at a private home on Beacon Hill. The event, co-hosted by Chair of Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee Rob Whitney and his wife Marcy Axelrad, Joel and Martha Pierce and Hilary and Rajan Nanda, was not a fundraiser but rather an opportunity for residents of the neighborhood to informally chat with the governor, and to voice their concerns, raise issues and ask questions.
Whitney briefly introduced Patrick, who spoke for about 20 minutes and then answered questions for approximately 45 minutes. The governor spoke about the recent educational reform legislation that he recently signed and how this movement was a top priority of his administration. He also discussed the reforms made to the state's auto insurance programs, resulting in the significant reduction in insurance costs for the state's drivers.
Meanwhile, Patrick remarked on the "AA" bond rating that has been given to the state by the three major bond agencies, which he said will result in a much stronger economy in the state going forward.

PHOTO 1 CAPTION: Rob Whitney, event host, Phillips Street resident and chair of Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee; Gov. Deval Patrick; and Marcy Axelrad, Phillips Street resident and Whitney’s wife.

PHOTO 2 CAPTION: State Rep. Marty Walz (left) listening to Gov. Deval Patrick’s remarks.