Friends Group Readies Spring Plans

By Avice Meehan

The seeds of City Meadow’s spring renewal are already visible beneath the coating of snow that covers the 400 woody shrubs and trees planted by the team working for Beth Roemaker of Meadowscapes. From button bush and winterberry, to sycamores and a single black tupelo, the plantings have been nurtured through the winter and fortified against deer.

Friends of the Meadow, the town committee charged with overseeing restoration of the property, is now preparing its plans for the new year. At its meetings in December and January, the group spent considerable time discussing finances. Members estimate they will need to raise $150,000 to $200,000 over the next two years to complete the plan created by Roemaker.

Friends of the Meadow has already received a commitment of $30,000 from an anonymous donor. Members are also considering submitting applications for grants to the state, as well as local nonprofits.

Libby Borden, Friends of the Meadow chair, reported that the there is enough money in the City Meadow account (roughly $40,000) to pay for additional planting and removal of invasive species such as phragmites. This scenario assumes that the town will continue to pay for mowing by Matts Landscaping and other, routine maintenance. 

“At his point…we have six months to get our fundraising in gear,” said Borden. “The amount is a challenge but is not insurmountable.”

Borden and vice chair George Cronin have also had conversations with the Norfolk Association and The Hub concerning maintenance and plantings at Robertson Plaza, which provides the primary access point into City Meadow. The plaza opened in the 1990s and was dedicated to the memory of Smith Robertson through a gift from his sister, Dorothy “Pinky” Robertson Bazzano. It underwent a redesign and reopened in 2022, but there are now concerns about how best to manage the plantings and the fountain. The group is considering whether the fountain would be more effective—and less wasteful of water—if it were converted to planter.