Boccelli Garden: The Public/Private Partnership

 The Boccelli Garden is located on a small triangular plot along the Nubanusit River on Grove Street. Across the river, an old building is being beautifully renovated into a multi-use facility. There will be retail space, a bakery, condominiums and office space. The owners wanted to enhance their view of Boccelli Garden from their property and offered to partner with the town to make improvements including replacing a chain-link fence, cleaning out brush obscuring views into the river, building a retaining wall and new shrub garden and adding a bluestone patio adjacent to the Boccelli Garden.

There was a house and barn once owned by the Boccelli family in the first half of the 1900's where the garden is now located. I believe theses steps once joined the driveway to the barn. I have always admired them. Maude Odgers, a Parks Committee member and volunteer gardener, suggested that we put a patio and seating area in this spot.

Below the patio, a shrub garden was planned here.

This is a view from the Boccelli Garden to the property across the river. There is an unattractive chain-link fence along the river. Volunteer trees have obscured the view of the Nubanusit River.

 

This was the view of the Boccelli Garden from across the river.

Large equipment was required for the job.

The abutter donated granite to be used to make a retaining wall to form a terrace for the new patio.

All the scrub trees were removed along the river when the fence was dismantled. This is the view from the bridge on Grove Street. The ancient apple tree, planted by Michael Boccelli nearly 100 years ago, is nowa central feature to the park. Later in the season, tree work will be done to limb it up to enhance views from every direction.

Temporary Safety fencing was installed.

Excavation work was done near the stairs. The granite bench was relocated to the edge of the Nubanusit River.

The new retaining wall in progress.

A look from the street.

The new fence as seen from across the river.

The sand base layer to the bluestone patio.

The view of the apple tree from the patio. Note the granite bench was relocated by the river's edge in the middle of the photograph.

The fence looks handsome and the Boccelli Garden is now visible from across the river.

This is the same view from the other side of the river as the fifth photograph.

From the bridge: the retaining wall, the Boccelli Garden and Michael Boccelli's apple tree.

We have been extremely fortunate to have repeated pattern of private underwriting like this in our public spaces here in Peterborough. Private donations, grants and public investment feed off one another to create unique and beautiful public spaces and the volunteers work diligently to keep them maintained at the highest level possible.