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Vol. 3, No. 6
September 15, 2002
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Welcome to the Dolan Pond News, an email publication of Friends of Dolan Pond, a local organization that promotes the protection and preservation of the Dolan Pond Conservation Area in West Newton, MA. Visit our website at www.dolanpond.org.
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The long awaited Dolan Pond improvement project got underway in late August and is expected to be completed in late October. Dolan Pond is small, eight acre, biologically diverse conservation area in West Newton located between Auburndale Avenue and Webster Street (access from Webster Park) originally acquired by the city in 1979. The project consists of the installation of stabilized stone pathways and a handicapped accessible boardwalk between Auburndale Avenue and Webster Park including an observation deck over Quinn Pond. In addition, there will be an observation decks overlooking Dolan Pond between the north and south sections of Cumberland Road. New stairways will be created at the ends of Stratford Road and Cumberland Road (south). Information kiosks and signage will guide visitors with the area and handicapped parking will be available at the Webster Park entrance.
The project is funded by a federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) recommended by the West Newton CDBG Advisory Committee. Margo Young, a Radcliffe graduate landscape design student, performed a study and an initial design for improvements as her thesis project. These were presented at a number of public meetings before the Newton Conservation Commission and the West Newton Advisory Committee. Feedback resulted in a number of modifications and the City of Newton prepared a revised detailed engineering plan which was put out to bid. The contract was awarded last spring to Liberty Siteworks of Brookline. Work was originally scheduled to be started this past spring but a number of paperwork glitches ensued. With all contracts in place, work finally commenced around August 20th.
The contractor is completing the work on the Cumberland end of the property first so that pathway can be opened as soon as possible. The Auburndale Avenue to Webster Park pathway will remained closed until completion. Safety tape has been used to close off the pathways as necessary for safety reasons. The late summer period is a good time for the work to be done. It avoids disruption of nesting birds and is an easier work environment due to the drier nature of the paths.
Dolan and Quinn Ponds in reality are vernal pools. In many years, they dry up in the late summer and refill in the later autumn from rains and stormwater. This is the nature of vernal pools and one of the factors that contributes to the area's biodiversity. The lack of fish in vernal pools leads to an abundance of frogs, toads, salamanders, and turtles.
From Webster Park to Banana Pond, a handicapped accessible surface of stabilized soil is being used. It appears like a natural path while providing support much like concrete. Such a surface was used on the new paths at Crystal Lake's Livingston Cove. From Banana Pond to Quinn Pond, the new edged boardwalk surface will be made of recycled plastic lumber in natural colors which should be virtually maintenance free.
The boardwalk and wildlife observation decks are build upon a foundation of helical piers which have a very small footprint. These are essentially long narrow rods with a circular ramped end which is slowly screwed into the ground to a point where it is determined to be able to support the weight needed. A bobcat with a huge drilling attachment has been used for this purpose. Due to the boggy nature of Dolan Pond, additional extension rods were needed to go far enough into the ground (an average of about 17 feet). After the piers are placed, deck mountings are built on them. On top of these will be placed the plastic lumber which is non-structural. Prior to the new boardwalk, the paths had to be renewed with wood chips every year (thanks to students, teachers, and parents from Burr and Franklin schools) due to the swampy nature of the path. We were essentially filling in the swamp with this process.
The old bog bridges which were removed had been temporarily placed near the Auburndale Park entrance. These were removed this past week. Some of these may be recycled at other conservation areas (Florrie's Path in Nahanton Park or perhaps in Flowed Meadow) as suggested by Helen Heyn.
The piers and framework for the Dolan Pond observation deck and the boardwalk from Banana Pond halfway to Quinn Pond have been completed thus far. Walking in from Cumberland Road or from Webster Park affords a view of some of the partially completed work. It's quite impressive.
Walking in from Webster Park the other day it was interesting to see the area opened up with some of the shrubbery cut back as it was when the area was first opened. Finally the ugly metal gate has been partially dismantled. It was put in around the mid 1980's to prevent trucks from driving in after a dumping of bathroom construction debris in the central area.
Please respect the temporarily closed areas and call any problems to the attention of the City's Planning Department at 617-796-1120. Dee Spiro (Community Development Planner) and Martha Aherin Horn (Senior Environmental Planner) have done a terrific job in shepherding this project for the city. When completed we will have a terrific new conservation resource for Newton which will be handicapped accessible.
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We received an inquiry after the last news asking whatever happened with the Wood Ducks. As you may recall, Mama Wood Duck gave birth to 13 ducklings which were out and about at all the ponds this past spring and summer. The family did quite well this year with no decimation in numbers due to predators at least through early summer. As far as I could tell, all the ducklings seemed to make it through childhood. In mid summer, juveniles were seen around various spots - a bit more independent. I guess a good number made it to the point of being able to fly out as the ponds dried up - probably over to the Charles or some other body of water. It was a pretty successful year. We will need to repair and clean the houses over the fall and winter but hopefully the kids will come home to roost next spring.
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Friends of Dolan Pond is a loose organization that has a website, www.dolanpond.org and an email address, "info@dolapond.org". If you are interested in the organization, please contact Ted Kuklinski at 617-969-6222, write to Friends of Dolan Pond, 24 Henshaw Terrace, West Newton, MA 02465, or send email to info@dolanpond.org. If you wish to be removed from this list, simply reply to this email with the word remove in the subject or body of the reply.
This newsletter is primarily published and distributed by email. If you wish to receive the newsletter or request to discontinue receiving the newsletter by email, please contact us as above. It is also posted in paper form on clipboards at the major entrances to the area. If you have any information, material, photos, poems, writings, etc. concerning Dolan Pond that you would like to share, please send them along. Please forward the email version along to anyone you know who might be interested in receiving it or ask them to send us an email to join our subscription list. Hope to see you at Dolan Pond soon!
Contents | Dolan Pond News | Home
Contents | Dolan Pond News | Home
Hope to see you at Dolan Pond soon!