Fort Greene Park Boulders, Adopt A Garden Bed, And An Upcoming Brooklyn-Wide Parks Meeting

If you’ve ever wondered what happens to the small boulders and other chunks of rock unearthed during construction projects such as the excavation at the Willoughby Avenue entrance to Fort Greene Park, here’s your answer: in many cases, they’re recycled.

In our case, boulders hailing from the Ice Age around 18,000 years ago have been re-homed around the park as natural rest-spots for walkers, joggers, and parents with little kids. As described by Park Director David Barker in a post for Fort Greene Park Conservancy, he “didn’t want these rocks to leave the park” so “Tom Baldante and his son Chris of Fredante Construction were happy to avoid the headache of disposing the boulders, and with the help of their front-end loader, we spent a morning placing the artifacts around the park.”

Some of the boulders were encrusted with sparkly mica and quartz, Barker noted, and the two largest ones “were almost perfectly flat on one side” — making them ideal for providing seating on the lawn next to the tennis courts. Their new home is right next to a popular climbing boulder that “came from a nearby sewer construction project a decade ago.”

Smaller chunks of rock and cobblestone have also found new homes in garden beds.

Adopt A Garden Bed

In other news, Barker also thanked park-goers for their park stewardship and is encouraging us to volunteer regularly:

I look back on PUPS installing more dispensers for dog waste bags, the Fort Greene Park Tennis Association filling in cracks in the courts with their own supplies and labor, or the Myrtle Village Greene Community Garden hauling away hundreds of bags of park leaves for composting. Local schools — from Brooklyn Tech student clubs to elementary schoolers — also gave us many volunteer days. Park patrons express their love for the park by pitching in to its upkeep and success.

One way to continue the upkeep, he said, is to adopt a garden bed. So if you enjoy weeding, mulching, and watering, or want to learn for a few hours per week, then email volunteer@fortgreenepark.org to get involved.

Remind The City To Focus On Fort Greene Park

Next Tuesday, December 15 at 6:30pm, the city Parks Department is holding a meeting of the Parks Without Borders initiative and Fort Greene Park needs people to attend to advocate for some of the $50 million to be used on our community backyard. The meeting will be at the Prospect Park Picnic House at 95 Prospect Park West.