Fed up with messing around at Foss

In a city with limited green space, the 14-acre Saxton J. Foss Park -- the largest park in Somerville -- should be a celebrated gem.

Instead, neighbors have to beg the state, which manages the park, to cut the grass or pick up trash.

"At every turn, it's pulling teeth to get anything," said Peter Ungar, chairman of the Foss Park Neighborhood Association, which recently began weeding gardens and painting over graffiti in the park.

Some municipal leaders are fed up and have suggested that the city find a way to take control of the park, which attracts hundreds of residents on a warm summer day to kick a soccer ball, shoot hoops, play tennis, or cool off in the pool.

Alderman at Large Jack Connolly said he wants the city to pursue discussions of taking over maintenance of some or all of the park. "We all know what a sad state of affairs it has been left in," he said. "It's just been neglected totally."

Another alderman at large, Bruce Desmond, called the maintenance of Foss Park "one of the biggest issues in the city today." Aldermen have asked for a meeting with Rick Sullivan, the new commissioner of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Six years ago, the residents who formed the neighborhood association began asking for more trash barrels, a regular mowing schedule, and upgrades to the dusty playing fields, Ungar said. They want improved lighting and bathrooms that are open year-round. They are still waiting.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone said he has already broached the subject of the city taking over maintenance of the park with Sullivan, who scheduled a follow up discussion for this month. But Curtatone said the city wouldn't consider managing the facility until significant capital improvements have been made to the fields and the pool.

Such an arrangement, he said, would be modeled on the city's agreement to maintain Dilboy Stadium after the state renovated it last year. The state invested $500,000 in the stadium, but the city foots the bill for maintenance.

The state has done a better job caring for Foss Park in recent years, but "it still might not be up to the standards we expect," Curtatone said. "We feel we can be more responsive."

Alderman Bill Roche, who represents Winter Hill, where the park is located, said it's not a new idea.

He and Michael Capuano, a former mayor and currently a US representative, tried to float the idea a decade ago, but it fizzled.

The conservation and recreation agency, he said, prioritizes more visible, high-profile parks, and Foss Park has become an afterthought.

"I don't think DCR does the park justice," Roche said.

Spokeswoman Wendy Fox said the state agency is trying to beef up its efforts at Foss Park. "We're trying very hard to do the right thing over there."

Roche said he thinks that if the city took control of the park, it could be converted into a showcase facility by constructing a youth center and recreation commission building next to the pool, which could be converted into an indoor facility for use year-round.

Ungar said he would support Somerville taking control of the park because city government takes pride in the upkeep of its green spaces.

When Ungar moved across the street in 2001, nothing was being done to maintain the park, which is at the corner of Broadway and McGrath Highway.

"It was as if it did not exist," he said. "There weren't even garbage barrels to put your trash into. It was absolutely appalling."

But things have improved over time, he said. The state agency, he said , is slowly becoming more proactive in its care of the park.

This month, a kiosk was installed where the neighborhood association can post information about its meetings.

The group has worked to create signs in English, Portuguese, and Spanish asking park users not to litter, and it hopes the state will post them soon.

"Things have improved," Ungar said, "but it's been at a snail's pace."