Owen Park has become nothing short of a total disgrace! This incredible jewel of an entry point for boaters into Vineyard Haven harbor has fallen into complete disrepair. How did this happen? Why has the town neglected this formerly beautiful park and allowed it to become the eyesore that now exists? There is no lawn anymore, the bandstand has red tape blocking access to it due to some electrical problem from two months ago, there has been a dumpster placed next to the dock the size of something you would see behind a Walmart — not exactly a welcoming element for all those million-dollar sailboats that pay exorbitant fees to dock there and must contend with horrible odors on warm days emanating from this misplaced dumpster.

The flagpole has the remnants of a wonderful circle garden that spent all of this summer smothered and choked in grapevines. And speaking of the flagpole, why do they take the flag down at three in the afternoon? I wanted to clean up the circle garden several times this summer, but felt I would be stepping on someone’s toes if I did. Thankfully, I observed Barbara Flanders and her partner from Tisbury Public Works cleaning it out one recent morning. I thanked her profusely for her efforts, which inspired me to want to help this park become the gem that it must have been years ago. I spent the better part of a day pulling weeds and crabgrass from the curb going down to the harbor. Those weeds were there due to the town sweeper fiasco that broke down and never was repaired to fix the sand accumulated from all the winter storms.

I have the impression that there is no money in the town budget to help fix this eyesore and that a volunteer group needs desperately to be formed to help reverse what has happened to Owen Park. From checking past records, there is an irrigation system that was put into the park to maintain the lawn, but it has been broken down and left in disarray for many years. I would like to propose a volunteer group that will be known as Friends of Owen Park. There are so many people that benefit from this park, from property abutters to boat owners and renters in the harbor to the exercise ladies out there every morning at six, to all the dog owners who have this wonderful open space to take their pets, to the families that watch movies and listen to concerts in the bandstand.

We all have a vested interest in caring for this park! Please write to your selectmen and tell them that this park should be a priority for funding consideration. It is an important entry point into Vineyard Haven harbor for boaters. So what are we saying when we greet those boaters with this embarrassingly run-down park? I am willing to take some of this on. I would like to see Friends of Owen Park become something. If you would like to get involved and help in this effort, please contact me (paul@behnkedoherty.com) so we can form a committee to work on fixing this. I would love to hear from you. Together, I know we can restore this park into something that will be respected and cherished.

Paul Doherty
Vineyard Haven