By David Benoit
Special to the Reporter

When Ronan Park was designed in 1912 it joined the company of some very well known parks around the country. Central Park in New York City, the grounds of the US Capital Building in Washington, and closer to home, Franklin Park and Arnold Arboretum; all designed by one man&emdash;Frederick Law Olmsted.

This summer a local group is trying to send Ronan Park back in the direction of greatness.

The Friends of Ronan Park are working on a summer-long campaign to beautify the somewhat dilapidated park, fixing walkways, repairing bent fences, and this Saturday, planting seven new trees.

Aided by a grant from the Urban Ecology Institute, the Friends of Ronan Park will plant the trees in an attempt to replace ones that have been taken down, and to make Ronan Park a more citizen friendly area.

"The real force behind it is that we want to make the park nice and plant trees and really bring people together," says Friends of Ronan Park organizer Brian Foust. Their goals go beyond just planting trees and picking up trash; what they really want to do is to bring community members together under the cause of saving a hidden treasure. That mission is what brought them to ask the Urban Ecology Institute for one of the many grants it hands out.

The Urban Ecology Institute is operated at Boston College and works with community groups throughout the city to plant trees and "to use urban forestry as a tool to engage communities." They are funded through a series of grants and donations that they in turn dole out to smaller organizations.

Stephanie Dashiell is a forester on the UEI staff and has worked with the Friends of Ronan Park to plan out where the trees will go and what types of trees they should get.

"We decided to grant Ronan Park the area because it's a really beautiful park," she said, before explaining that it has fallen on hard times. "A lot of the community around Ronan tends to be apathetic and there is a group that wants to gather more people involved in caring for the park and specifically the greenery and the trees and the plants in the area."

In the recent past, Ronan Park has been the site of muggings and violent crime, notably the 2005 stabbing death of Friends of Ronan Park member John Beresford. As a consequence, some in the community don't feel safe utilizing it. The UEI and Friends of Ronan Park hope that getting people out working on the land will change this image.

The Friends of Ronan Park has held meetings and planning days to determine what will meet their standards for improvements. Of the seven trees to be bought, two will be planted along Mt. Ida Rd. and the others will line the pathway through the park. Foust hopes that they will be able to get some flowering trees to ensure that the park will get a lot of color. The UEI will purchase the trees and the two groups will work together on planting them.

This Saturday will be the first of the two most important dates for the groups, and they are calling on all willing and able hands to head out and help them plant some of the trees. It's a big project to dig holes and plant seven trees and both the Friends of Ronan Park and the Urban Ecology Institute really hope community members come out and help them in their work.

It may only be the start to returning Ronan Park to its heritage, but it's a big step in returning some of the pride for its area residents.