Walla Walla's Grand Plan for a Public Park
Chairman McLean announces that $2,000 will be used next spring to build a boating lake and revitalize the city's 40-acre park.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Little work will be done this year toward beautifying Walla Walla's city park, Chairman McLean of the park committee preferring to concentrate his energies and resources for an active campaign next spring. Next spring the chairman expects to accomplish much toward giving Walla Walla a real park, one with a little lake for boating purposes, pretty driveways, shady little groves with plenty of seats and a band stand. The construction of a pretty little lake is the latest idea of the chairman and it will be put into execution at the first possible moment. Fringed by groves of cool fragrant firs, the little sheet of water upon which boats will be able to sail is expected to be a great attraction to the youngsters as well as the older ones. The lake will not be so large and deep as to endanger the lives of anyone should a boating accident occur, but will be large enough to provide plenty of amusements. For the first time there has been sufficient funds in the treasury to even make a start. Chairman McLean stated that at the opening of spring he expected to have at least $2,000 in the park fund, and every cent is to be put to the best possible use in beautifying the forty acres.
“Not a cent is to be wasted if I can help it. Funds of the park department are too scarce to admit of any wasteful expenditures.”
This 1903 civic project highlights the perennial local struggle to balance municipal budgets with the desire for public amenities. Today’s Walla Walla parks still grapple with the maintenance costs of public spaces that were envisioned over a century ago by boosters like McLean.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.