It’s been a hot and wet summer so far and our lovely park is lush and flourishing, offering a welcome respite to weary Waban feet. The flowering perennials that continue to bloom sequentially amuse and surprise us with their fragrant and changing beauty. Of course, wet weather also brings weeds and Newton has a policy that no pesticides may be used on its public lands, so between the City’s contractors and our gardening group, constant labor is being applied and reapplied to pull those weeds from our flower beds.  

We can now report a most newsworthy item about Waban Common’s continued progress. There will finally be a picnic/game table installed in the northeast corner of the site, near Beacon St. and Collins Avenue. The table is in the process of being purchased by the City with funds from a Founding Donor family who designated their donation for that purpose. The City’s Department of Public Works will prepare the site and the City’s Parks and Recreation Department will install it. We expect this to happen roughly by early fall. The table will have an embedded chess/checkerboard and will be ADA compliant with three attached benches and a space for a person in a wheelchair.