Melinda Tuhus Photo
Paul Chambers was watching the excavation for the new Davis Street School when he called up a six-month old memory and came up with an idea. The result: four truckloads of highly prized boulders arrived Tuesday morning at Beaver Pond Park.
Chambers, who lives on Fairfield Street near the school, works with the Friends of Beaver Pond Park (FOBPP) on Fournier Street across from Southern Connecticut State University.
He recalled someone at a Friends meeting last year saying it would be nice to have boulders for beautifying and protecting the perimeter of the park.
So when he saw crews digging up all those big rocks on Davis Street as part of the school’s $45 million demolition and rebuilding project, he made inquiries.
PJ’s Construction is in charge of the Davis Street excavation work. “The boulders had to go somewhere,” Chambers said. “The money [for disposal] was in the contract, and they were talking about trucking them 20 miles away.” So he contacted Claude Watt, program manager for construction on the New Haven school building project. “He put me in touch with Jerry Rodriguez, the superintendent of the Davis Street job site. I asked if he would donate the boulders to Beaver Pond Park,” and he agreed. The company saved time and money, since this site was two miles away rather than 20.
Chambers pointed out to truck driver Manny Pires (in top photo)where the rocks should go.
Pires prepared to tip his dump truck and noisily dropped the first load of rocks in a big, muddy pile. Then he headed across town for three more loads.
Click on the video to watch the load being dumped.
Nan Bartow, a stalwart member of FOBPP, was also on hand for the deliveries. She said members have lots of ideas for placing the boulders in strategic spots around the park. For example, they want to create a zigzag walkway in place of the straight-down shortcut (pictured) that currently exists from Crescent Street to the park.
They also want to replace the deteriorating pylons near the corner of Crescent and Fournier that now keep vehicles from cutting through. “These [boulders] will be a lot more attractive,” she said.
Along with some litter that Bartow promised would be cleaned up soon, the park was sporting its spring finery of flowering trees (this one named in honor of the late Ed Grant, “Mr. Freddy Fixer”), daffodils, and tulips (below) that Paul Chambers planted last year under the park sign.
