A Half Acre of Peace , Activity ,
and Friendship in Worcester
CASEY-LEE BASTIEN , ASLA AND LESLIE FANGER , ASLA
The Motivation
The murder of Carlos Campos in 2003 led his heartbroken mother , Nannette Davis , to initiate the effort to end senseless violence in her Worcester neighborhood . She and a group of concerned women formed Women Together Now ( WTN ), a community-based organization dedicated to making their neighborhood a safe place to live and work . The most prominent and enduring project that exemplifies WTN ’ s determination to achieve a lasting peace , is the transformation of a derelict , half-acre parcel into Peace Park , serving as a memorial to the neighborhood ’ s sons and daughters who lost their lives to senseless violence .
Photo | BSC Group
The Location
The park is located on a former school site , adjacent to a church , a Mediterranean market , and a 16-story Worcester Housing Authority senior living residential apartment building . The old school building had been demolished and the vacant lot had become an overgrown , debris-strewn , and dangerous place situated in this densely populated urban neighborhood .
The Effort
Photo | BSC Group
WTN lobbied Parks Commissioner , Robert Antonelli , Jr ., for funding to transform the lot into a new neighborhood park . The first task of securing the half-acre parcel was made possible through the significant efforts of the Parks Department and the Greater Worcester Land Trust . Their collaboration led to the eventual purchase of the parcel by the City Parks Dept , permanent protection of this new open space through a conservation restriction , and procurement of funding for design and construction of the new park .
Photo | Future Focus Media Co-op
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