Fishing for Stones

 

As most of you who walk around Pickett Pond are aware, there are three sets of steps leading down to the water's edge. These steps, composed of large landscaping timbers and heavy stones, provide fishermen and model boat enthusiasts a means to get near to the water for some fun.

Unfortunately, over the years, these steps have also suffered from vandalism. For some unknown reason, people have dug up the very large stones and managed to toss them into the water for the assumed sole purpose of creating a very big splash. 

As a result, the community has had to fund replacement of the missing stones and the attendant corrective maintenance.

This autumn, in an effort to save community money and maintain the attractiveness of the pond, a group of volunteers, led by our Common Grounds chairperson, Pat Flaherty, went to the Pond on Saturday, Oct 10th, managed to retrieve at some 12-15 very large stones out of the water and to effect repairs. 

Assisting Pat were volunteers, Greg Bonner, Ken Weinberg and Bob Curtis. Somehow, they managed to salvage and recycle some fairly big and very heavy stones, thus saving the community hundreds, and perhaps thousands of dollars. This was an impressive accomplishment in light of the fact that the stones weighed 70 pounds or more, were slimy and slippery, and extremely difficult to handle.

Our special thanks go out to Greg, Bob, Ken and Pat for spending Saturday morning "fishing for stones" and especially to Pat who doggedly oversees the general condition of our common grounds.