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Improvements coming to Dorchester Heights Monument

Print | Comments () Posted by Patrick Rosso September 19, 2012 02:48 PM

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(Patrick D. Rosso/Boston.com/2012)

Local youths taking part in Easter festivities at the Dorchester Heights Monument.

By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent

The Dorchester Heights Monument, one of South Boston’s most coveted and historical spaces, will soon be getting a face-lift.

The park suffers from a number of ailments, including poor soil, lack of irrigation, and the disrepair of the monument. Ruth Raphael, a planner for the National Park Service, which manages the site, said there are both long- and short-term goals for the park.

Short-term goals include the installation of three informational plaques around the monument to provide background and the history of the site for visitors. In addition to the plaques, new “welcome” signs will be installed at the park’s entrances.

Rapheal estimated that the “wayside exhibits” and signs should be in place by the spring.

Longer term goals for the park, include the replacement of a number of trees along the main path, the replacement of some of the park’s soil, the replacement of missing lights, the installation of a new irrigation system and the installation of a new water fountain.

One of the most significant moves by the Park Service will be tackling maintenance issues with the monument. It has been closed for some time due to “unsafe conditions”.

Raphael said the federal government has set aside some money in its Fiscal Year 2013 budget, which starts in October, to do an evaluation of the monument to determine the amount of maintenance required.

Funds for the physical repair of the structure should be set aside in the Fiscal Year 2014 budget, Raphael said.

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Email Patrick D. Rosso, patrick.d.rosso@gmail.com. Follow him @PDRosso, or friend him on Facebook.