With a determination to give back to the city they intend to protect and serve upon graduation from the academy, a group of Springfield police recruits spent time Saturday morning cleaning and planting trees at two local parks.
As the rain fell steadily around 9 a.m., the group stayed busy by digging holes to house the heavy root balls of new trees that are intended to beautify Hennessy Park in the city's Bay Neighborhood.
"We're planting a mix of shade trees and ornamental trees, and the recruits are cleaning up the overgrown brush along the exterior fence of the park," said Ed Casey, the City of Springfield's forester. "I've worked with a lot of volunteer groups over the years, but these guys have been great. I think it's great they are out here spending time in the neighborhoods before they start on the force."
The group of recruits reached out to the non-profit tree advocacy organization ReGreen Springfield for its community service project, which they must complete ahead of graduation, which is scheduled to happen three weeks from now. Based on his history volunteering with that non-profit, recruit Andrew Normand said he was pleased he was able to connect his class with ReGreen Springfield to plant more than a dozen new trees in a neighborhood plagued by gangs and gun-related violence.
Hennessey Park cleanup in Springfield
10-11-2014-SPRINGFIELD- As the rain fell steadily around 9 a.m. Saturday, a group of Springfield police recruits stayed busy by digging holes to house the heavy root balls of 18 new trees that are intended to beautify the area of Hennessy Park in the city's Bay Neighborhood. (Robert Rizzuto / The Republican)
Robert Rizzuto | rrizzuto@repub.com
"As soon as we started talking about a community service project, the first thing that came to mind was ReGreen Springfield," Normand said. "I couldn't have asked for better partners to be out here working with."
The efforts Saturday also extended to Kenyon Street, which abuts the park and has a mixed bag of single and multi-family homes. In addition to cleaning up the area, the recruits also planted new trees along its tree belt.
Chances are once the recruits graduate and take on roles within the Springfield Police Department, they will be coming back to the area of Hennessey Park, which is just south of Sycamore Street. A search of the MassLive archives highlights several instances where the park and its surrounding streets were the subject of gang-related violence and gun fire reports over the years
Based on the neighborhood's reputation as a trouble spot, the city has been paying it extra attention to make the climate unfavorable for gang members and improve the quality of life for the law-abiding residents who call the area home.
Over the summer, the Springfield Police ordinance squad conducted a massive sweep of the area, issuing 76 citations for violations ranging from having overgrown lawns and shrubbery to having unregistered vehicles and old mattresses lying around private property. Additionally, Hennessey Park was the location of the 2014 Community Family Day in July where police held a picnic for the families in the neighborhood, letting them know that although gangs run the streets in the neighborhood, they are not alone.
Following the work in the Bay Neighborhood, the group planned to head to Adams Park on Wilbraham Road to work. Depending on the weather, the group planned to give some of the playground equipment there a fresh coat of paint and clean up overgrown brush on the grounds.
As the rain fell steadily around 9 a.m., the group stayed busy by digging holes to house the heavy root balls of new trees that are intended to beautify Hennessy Park in the city's Bay Neighborhood.
"We're planting a mix of shade trees and ornamental trees, and the recruits are cleaning up the overgrown brush along the exterior fence of the park," said Ed Casey, the City of Springfield's forester. "I've worked with a lot of volunteer groups over the years, but these guys have been great. I think it's great they are out here spending time in the neighborhoods before they start on the force."
The group of recruits reached out to the non-profit tree advocacy organization ReGreen Springfield for its community service project, which they must complete ahead of graduation, which is scheduled to happen three weeks from now. Based on his history volunteering with that non-profit, recruit Andrew Normand said he was pleased he was able to connect his class with ReGreen Springfield to plant more than a dozen new trees in a neighborhood plagued by gangs and gun-related violence.
Hennessey Park cleanup in Springfield
10-11-2014-SPRINGFIELD- As the rain fell steadily around 9 a.m. Saturday, a group of Springfield police recruits stayed busy by digging holes to house the heavy root balls of 18 new trees that are intended to beautify the area of Hennessy Park in the city's Bay Neighborhood. (Robert Rizzuto / The Republican)
Robert Rizzuto | rrizzuto@repub.com
"As soon as we started talking about a community service project, the first thing that came to mind was ReGreen Springfield," Normand said. "I couldn't have asked for better partners to be out here working with."
The efforts Saturday also extended to Kenyon Street, which abuts the park and has a mixed bag of single and multi-family homes. In addition to cleaning up the area, the recruits also planted new trees along its tree belt.
Chances are once the recruits graduate and take on roles within the Springfield Police Department, they will be coming back to the area of Hennessey Park, which is just south of Sycamore Street. A search of the MassLive archives highlights several instances where the park and its surrounding streets were the subject of gang-related violence and gun fire reports over the years
Based on the neighborhood's reputation as a trouble spot, the city has been paying it extra attention to make the climate unfavorable for gang members and improve the quality of life for the law-abiding residents who call the area home.
Over the summer, the Springfield Police ordinance squad conducted a massive sweep of the area, issuing 76 citations for violations ranging from having overgrown lawns and shrubbery to having unregistered vehicles and old mattresses lying around private property. Additionally, Hennessey Park was the location of the 2014 Community Family Day in July where police held a picnic for the families in the neighborhood, letting them know that although gangs run the streets in the neighborhood, they are not alone.
Following the work in the Bay Neighborhood, the group planned to head to Adams Park on Wilbraham Road to work. Depending on the weather, the group planned to give some of the playground equipment there a fresh coat of paint and clean up overgrown brush on the grounds.
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