Visions of a Green Future for Dickinson Park

Plans are afoot for Dickinson Park to get some green revisions in the future -- revisions that would see the introduction of butterfly gardens and a nature center, among other developments.

Members of a group, including Parks and Recreation Director Amy Mangold, P&R commission member Jan Brookes and James Beldin, showcased the plans at a tour in the park Thursday afternoon.

"This is about bringing park-goers to natural, rather than having them fenced off from nature," says Brookes. She points out spaces where a boardwalk would extend across wetlands in the park, allowing visitors to walk among the greenery and see a variety of wildlife -- like the crane that alighted on a tree across the marsh while she spoke.

The plans come from landscape architect Billie Cohen, who has worked with Parks and Recreation to present the proposal earlier in June. Cohen plans to take the space, where the pool once stood, and "return it to its natural state," hemming it with boardwalks and a nature center, says Brookes.

Along with the walkways and restored wetlands, plans are ambitious. The entrance off Deep Brook Road would be flanked by a visitor's center featuring an observation deck, weather station and telescope. Already, plans are set in place for a new playground to replace the older one, and members of the group hope to add a butterfly garden alongside it.

The group hope potential backers see how much vitality the designs could bring to Dickinson Park. Funding hasn't manifested itself yet, says Brookes, but she adds a visitor's center could draw backers if it used a green energy plan like solar power to keep it "off the grid."

While the addition of the skate park several years ago has drawn new lifeblood to this part of the park, the space could be managed much better, say Parks and Recreation officials.

"When I was here last week, I turned around and looked at this," said Brookes. "I never thought of it as being dead, but it isn't used much."