The Oval Garden in front of Town Hall, newly planted by the Acton Garden Club to commemorate the club’s 90th Anniversary, was dedicated on the morning of May 1. The 20’x18’ perennial garden was designed with plantings that will withstand, with little maintenance or watering, the harsh sun, fumes from vehicle traffic, and road salt.
Representative Simon Cataldo was on hand to remark on Garden Club members’ passion for community which they “channel into beautifying the community for all to enjoy.”
Town Manager John Mangiaratti noted that he enjoys a view of the garden from his office window. “What you did to refurbish and make a beautiful new garden here really sets the tone for what people think of the community. It’s our ‘front door,’ and what you’ve done for us helps the community understand the value of our government and of the work that the volunteers do. It’s a sign that this is a volunteer-led organization. It’s the people that do most of the work here,” Mangiaratti said.
Select Board member Dean Charter read a proclamation approved earlier in the week by the Select Board. He also shared that his mother Betty was a long-time member of the club, and he had grown up with a great admiration for the ladies. His father Frank affectionately referred to the club as “the merry weeders.”
Funding for the reconstruction was provided by the Garden Club itself, a grant from the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Plant America, town employees, and their spouses. Two years ago, the club created what was named the Oval Garden Committee, and included members Linda O’Neil, Cathy Fochtman, Judy Dembsey, Janet Irons, Joy Madden, Maura Sharp, Fran Portante, and Sue Whitcomb. The project was inspired by the recently completed infrastructure changes, to improve traffic patterns, in Acton’s Town Center. Fochtman pointed out that, “Now, when you come down Concord Road, you’re looking right at Town Hall, and this garden.” She added, “Hopefully you’ll be looking left and right, too!”
A great deal of labor went into the garden’s makeover. Select Board member Dean Charter (who is also a certified arborist) cut down the old shrubs with a chainsaw on a rainy day. Public Works staff helped to dig out old roots and bring in new loam. Tree Warden Ryan Hunt helped the committee to pick out a large stone to which was affixed a bronze dedication plaque. Of course, club members did all the planting and mulching.
Fochtman offered praise to Dick O’Neil “for bringing an artistry to the garden.” O’Neil installed the fountain, which currently holds pansies and will hold succulents later in the season. The fountain was a gift to the O’Neil family by the late Mabel Jenks, a respected member of the club. O’Neil’s father, Jim O’Neil, was a former Acton employee; he worked as the Tree Warden just like Charter and Charter’s father before him.
Members of the committee expressed deep appreciation for the support from town management, the Select Board, and the Historic District Commission which has jurisdiction over changes to the Acton Center Historic District, the entirety of which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The dedication was followed by a 90th Anniversary cake enjoyed in Room 204 of Town Hall while attendees perused club memorabilia, photos, scrapbooks and newspaper clippings featuring past events and projects. Visit actongardenclub.org to learn more about the club and additional events to celebrate their 90th year.
Alissa Nicol is a Select Board member in Acton and frequently writes on community events for the Acton Exchange.
