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Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Boston Environmental and Energy Services Chief Jim Hunt, and Boston Parks Commissioner Antonia M. Pollak joined The Home Depot Foundation officials at Clifford Playground in Roxbury at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23 to celebrate The Home Depot’s $150,000 donation to Grow Boston Greener and Boston Shines. The City of Boston acknowledged The Home Depot Foundation’s community support with a Grow Boston Greener tree planting event of 50 trees and Boston Shines park clean-up with 30 Team Depot volunteers from Boston area Home Depot stores. Boston’s urban forestry initiative was given a boost with the $125,000 grant from The Home Depot Foundation. The funds will be used to plant 1,300 trees in areas of Boston that presently have a canopy cover of less than 30 percent. In addition, the Foundation also donated $25,000 to Boston Shines. The Home Depot Foundation tree grant will be used to target plantings on large sites owned primarily by private nonprofits and yard plantings on streets with limited public sidewalk space. In addition, community workshops will be held on long-term tree care and the importance of trees to communities and tracking data will be collected on the 1,300 trees planted. Wednesday’s event is hosted by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department in partnership with Boston Shines and Boston’s Urban Forest Coalition, a coalition of non-profit, city, state, and federal organizations. Since its formation in 2002, The Home Depot Foundation has planted and preserved more than one million community trees. Over the next 10 years, The Home Depot Foundation has pledged to invest $400 million in communities to develop 100,000 affordable, healthy homes for working families and plant and preserve more than three million community trees.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department invite local residents to enjoy informational Coffee Hours in various neighborhood parks throughout the city. The annual event series, sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts, will take place from April 29 to May 16. The Coffee Hours give residents a unique opportunity to speak directly with Mayor Menino about open space and recreational needs in their neighborhoods. Through these one- on-one discussions, Mayor Menino looks forward to hearing how the City of Boston can improve upon local parks and public areas. All participants will enjoy coffee and breakfast treats provided by Dunkin’ Donuts. In addition, each family in attendance will receive a flowering plant as a gift from Mayor Menino. Residents at the event will also be eligible to win a “Day on the Town” raffle prize package including a Dunkin’ Donuts gift basket, Macy’s gift certificate, lunch at Legal Sea Foods, Swan Boat rides, and free parking downtown for the day compliments of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. The tenth annual Coffee Hour series is held from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at each site with dates and locations as follows: Tuesday, April 29 Walker Playground Norfolk Street, Mattapan Wednesday, April 30 Ronan Park – Official Park Opening Adams Street and Mount Ida Road, Dorchester Thursday, May 1 Doherty Playground Bunker Hill and Medford Streets, Charlestown Friday, May 2 Christopher Columbus Park Atlantic Avenue, Boston Monday, May 5 East Boston Memorial Stadium Porter Street, East Boston Wednesday, May 7 Peters Park Washington Street, South End Thursday, May 8 Mission Hill Playground Tremont and Smith Streets, Mission Hill Friday, May 9 Hynes Playground VFW Parkway, West Roxbury Monday, May 12 Gertrude Howes Playground Moreland and Fairland Streets, Roxbury Tuesday, May 13 Portsmouth Street Park - Official Park Opening Portsmouth Street, Brighton Wednesday, May 14 Healy Playground Washington Street and Firth Road, Roslindale Thursday, May 15 Martin Playground Myrtlebank and Hilltop Streets, Dorchester Friday, May 16 Mozart Street Playground – Official Park Opening Centre and Mozart Streets, Jamaica Plain For more information, please contact the Parks Department at (617) 635-4505, ext. 3039. Mayor Menino Hosts 2008 Swan Boat Opening Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Boston’s First Lady, Angela Menino, joined their grandchildren and local Boston youngsters for the first ride of the season as the Swan Boats opened at the Public Garden Lagoon at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 19. “Boston’s residents and visitors know that spring is here when the Swan Boats return to the Public Garden,” said Mayor Menino. “When people the world over think of Boston, the Swan Boats come to mind.” This welcomed rite of spring is made possible thanks to the Paget family, owners and operators of the Swan Boats first launched in 1877 by English immigrant and shipbuilder Robert Paget. Mr. Paget designed the Swan Boats after attending the opera Lohengrin in New York City. At the end of the opera, the hero crosses a river in a boat drawn by a swan. The swan on today’s boats is made from either copper or fiberglass, depending on the age of the boat, and encloses a paddle mechanism that is used to propel the boat through the water. The oldest was built in 1910, while the newest was launched in 1993. Fully loaded, each Swan Boat weighs three tons and carries up to twenty passengers. The Swan Boats are built on copper- clad pontoons that contain air tanks to keep them afloat. After being stored in a safe place for the winter, the boats are returned to the Public Garden Lagoon in the spring with the Menino family celebrating the first ride of the season. For more information, please visit the Swan Boats of Boston online at www.swanboats.com or call (617) 522-1966.
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