Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-05-07

station. Mrs. McCrea is the land
scape architect engaged by the G. M.
& st. p. railroad to do this work i'm
landscape gardening. The Park Com
mission needed her services for only
few days: and it is very gratifying to
know that Mrs. McCrea has already
begun to carry out the plan of park
ing the grounds about the st. Paul
station. A small beginning has been
made, wholly at the railroads ex-
pense. and when the new depot is
built. which we have every reason to
assume will be within year or two at
most. the remainder of the grounds
will be attractively laid out, so that
our station will compare quite
| favorably with those in the neighbor-
ing towns of Wausau and Merrill. A
few people have felt that it was an
extravaganza to have had an architect
for the park, at the price of $4,000 a
day. But those who have had eX-
perience in park building in other
cities assure us that it is much
cheaper to have one who really under
stands the business, and puts each
thing in the right place, then to try
to get on without the proper plans
and in the end be compelled to do
things over and over again. After the
work was mapped out the women of
the Federation gladly gave their time
and energy to perfecting a plan for
the filling in Of the grounds, as this
part of the work was the really large
item of expense. Park Week was
then suggested and carried out in
October. The Federation solicited
from the people of the town and sur
rounding country, donations in money,
time or teams, this appeal being very
generously responded to by all our
people. With the services thus given,
free of charge, work was carried on
every day, from seven in the morning.
until six at night-an average of ten
teams and twenty-five men working
all day for the entire week 1t was
wonderful weeks work, the entire
grounds being nicely filled and later
brought up to grade and finished by atop
covering of good earth in which grass
would grow and shrubs might be set
| The women of the Federation feel
very grateful to the Press of the city
| for it's kindness and courtesy. 1t was
through bringing this matter before
the people of the city and surround
ing country that we were able to &C
complish the work as necessary to the
completion of the park.
AS to the cost of filling in the park,
it has been estimated that over $500
loads of dirt were deposited here If
the ordinary price of soc for a load of
sand was charged, and a wage of 81 %
per day paid the men who worked, fill
ing in, the approximate value of the
work accomplished during Park Week
would he more than $4,000 and this
part of the work cost the city practi-
cally nothing. Besides this item, the
shrubs in the park, which cost $4,000,
were bought by the Federation, max
ing total an Ount of more than
$l50O.OO which was virtually raised by
the club women of the city, that the
park might become success. Again
a few of our citizens have felt that
the city's officials were extravaganza in
the building of the park-yet assuredly
we wanted it-an6 if anyone in our
town can find city in the state that
has put in as good condition, as large
a park as ours, at less than double
what it cost our city treasury, we
should be glad to learn where such
park is located Another feature of
the park, was the raising of the funds
from the business men of the city for
the purchase of the necessary trees to
set along the edge of the cement
walks from the Christian Science
church to the Library and to the county
Jail building. This was a contribu-
ton from the business men wholly,
and attended to by one of their num-
Der, neither the Federation, nor the
city assisting in this work. The i'm
provement of the west side river bank
has caused many favorable comments
this spring. This was one of the
things .the Federation accomplished
last year. The funds necessary for
the work were solicited from the
property owners along this bank, as
far as possible, the treasury Of the
Federation supplying part, also, in
order to finish the work well. The
entire cost of the work was $4,000.
The city took no part in this work as
assistance was not needed here
These particulars, concerning the
park and the river bank, are given
out by the Federation in response to
many questions on the subject, from
members of the clubs, as well as
others interested in the advancement
of the city. Nothing of real i'm
portance can be produced without cost
and more or less criticism; but even
this is true, are we therefore never to