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The primary Obiectives in each park buffer treatment are threefold: 1. reinstate the historic division between park and surrounding city by planting to provide visual separation; 2. improve functional elements by rehabilitating the pedestrian paths within and through these buffers, and providing pedestrian lights where appropriate; 3. recognize and accommodate park user perceptions of danger when plantings are very dense and/or close to paths. The first and third objectives are, when approached literally, mutually exclusive. Perception of safety is a real issue although actual crime in the park is no more frequent, and probably less prevalent, than in the surrounding city. A compromise of each, to accommodate the other is attempted in the Preservation Plan and shown on Exhibit 7. Shrub plantings are less dense and farther from paths than in the past. Where both tree groves and shrubs were planted in the past, only tree groves have been recommended. The varied treatment prescribed for each buffer is indicated below.

Condition : The historic plan shows dense plantings along the park frontage. Near Madison Avenue tree groves with shrub understory are indicated and along the Lake area these were augmented with Conifer Groves.

The end of the Lake is buffered by an evergreen grove on the Lake side of the park drive.

Condition : From South Lake to Thurlow dense plantings of evergreens with a shrub understory buffered the adjacent property. From Thurlow to Englewood a more open treatment with groves and shrub masses existed.

Recommendations : Improve buffering of neighboring property. Retain existing evergreen trees in good health. Plant additional evergreen trees and deciduous trees as shown. Establish shade tolerant ground covers below trees to stabilize soils. As trees mature prune up to 3 to 4 feet. Reduce size of existing cul-de-sac and close end of Thurlow Street. Plant with low shrubs in masses as shown.

Condition : A dense buffer of plantings is indicated along Englewood Place. Evergreen groves currently buffer the southern portion of this edge.

Recommendations : Retain existing plant material in good health. Augment evergreen tree groves as a continuous buffer. Since this edge is only 25 feet wide, a single and double row of trees is indicated.

This buffer will be a visually permeable separation from the adjacent structures.

Pine and remnant shrubs indicate both tree and shrub buffers.

Recommendations : Retain existing White Pines. Augment these plantings with more pine along the State Street frontage eventually forming five groves. Close the park entrance at Sprague Place and relocate the Armsby Monument to this area. Plant medium shrubs around the monument. Plant medium shrubs in masses along the park drive.