The Bare Cove Park Committee meets on the second Monday of each month at the Town Hall, except during June, July and August, when meetings are often held at the park.  Visitors are always welcome, and dates, times and locations are posted on the bulletin board at Town Hall.  The Town website (www.hingham-ma.com) also contains a photo tour and further information on the park.

Volunteer landscaper and committee member, Frank Sheltry, and Scott MacMillan, park ranger, have kept the park in excellent condition throughout the year, creating an attractive and enjoyable destination for the public to enjoy. Hundreds of visitors come to the park each day, year round. In addition to cutting the grass fields in summer and plowing the roads in winter, Frank and Scott continue to remove intrusive, non-indigenous vegetation. Scott also trims bushes and trees throughout the park that encroach on the roads and river vistas.

The dog waste bag program implemented last year continues to be successful in reducing the residues left by many dogs visiting the park each day. In addition, the triangle garden, near the Fort Hill Street entrance, continues to flourish under the supervision of volunteer gardener, Barbara Nicosia and the Friends of Bare Cove Park. A gift account has been established in the name of the Friends to accept tax-deductible donations from those who want to aid in their efforts, and can be sent to them c/o the Bare Cove Park Committee at Town Hall.

Once again, the Plymouth County Mosquito Control Project sprayed the park several times during the spring and summer. 

The BCP Committee finished mapping paved and unpaved roads throughout the park. Those data now reside in the Town's computerized graphical information system being run by the Assessor's Office.

A land swap deal with the Hastings Companies and the Town was completed last summer. As a result, the Town deeded over to Hastings approximately 2.5 acres of parkland in exchange for approximately the same amount of the former Project Turnabout property owned by Hastings. Mitigation included in the land swap and rezoning agreement resulted in Hastings providing an improved park entrance off of Beal Street, a new walking path into the park, and a new and enlarged parking lot to be shared with the new youth athletic fields, also provided by Hastings.

Even though Governor Romney signed into law last year legislation deeding over 15-acres of surplus Massachusetts Department of Public Works land to the Town of Hingham, the transaction has yet to be completed. In relation to that property, the state demolished three former ammunition storage buildings located on it, and five underground bunkers on adjoining state DPW and Fisheries and Wildlife property. In addition, the state is still planning to create a pedestrian/bicycle ramp between Bare Cove Park and Stoddard's Neck.

The Bare Cove Park Committee's proposal to the Town's Community Preservation Committee for funds to restore, rehabilitate, and improve the park was approved unanimously at Town Meeting during April. The funds appropriated will be used to demolish and remove several decrepit concrete foundations and former ammunition storage buildings scattered throughout the park.  Other CPC funds approved include monies to rebuild the main entrance off of Fort Hill Street, complete the triangle flower Garden, and re-landscape the area around the Green Dock Building located near the river.  Additional picnic tables and benches will also be added at various locations.

In the course of planning for the CPC-funded demolition work, the engineering firm contracted by the town to create the demolition plans and specifications, and acquire the necessary environmental permits, discovered asbestos roofing shingle contamination in and around nine of the fourteen buildings on the demolition list. This discovery necessitated going to a special town meeting during December for emergency funds to clean up the contamination. Those funds were approved, and the cleanup is now in progress. Following the remediation of the contamination, demolition of the buildings and foundations will commence.
 
As we mentioned in last year's report, Bare Cove Park Committee member and treasurer Jane Conrad died unexpectedly during March of 2006.  Generous friends and colleagues have contributed sufficient funds in her memory to permit the construction of a memorial bench near the stream that flows into Beal's Cove from Tucker's Swamp. Installation of the bench and landscaping around it are now in progress.