Neighbors:

Comparable to the slow but steady pace of the tortoise, we have been making progress in clearing overgrowth, dead branches and trees and debris from our common land. Some clearing has been done in Barque Hill Park with burning this spring, and in Shipyard Park with chips spread to hold down weed and poison ivy growth last fall.

In late June and early July, professionals tackled Till Rock Park for three days, clearing many years' accumulation of undergrowth, poison ivy and dead trees/limbs. We now have an area which is much more attractive and even passable for us to hike to Till Rock at the top of the hill. We have more work to do in the spreading of several piles of chips. We paid $3,250 for this work with the accumulated surplus in the Association's account.

Of course there is much more to do. First on the list of the Grounds Committee (Jon Keene and myself) is opening Barque Hill Trail, the path which begins at the end of Barque Hill Drive and connects upper and lower Brigantine Circle. Then, Landing Green, at the base of Till Rock Lane is in much the same condition as Till Rock Park was. Clearing that area will probably again require professional help and hence will need to await funding.

We also have more mundane cleanups on Barque Hill Drive and other areas where we put out a clarion call for help for a couple of hours on a weekend.

We continue to move forward in making Barque Hill a more attractive place to live and welcome any suggestions.

Tom Poor