Four members of the Occupy Providence movement marched to City Hall last Monday to reaffirm the group's commitment to reseed Burnside Park and voice concerns about the city's decision to seal the park for scheduled maintenance until June. The women who made up the group marched from the park to the office of Mayor Angel Taveras, presenting three bags of grass seed mixture as a symbolic gesture.
In negotiations with the city in January, Occupy Providence agreed to vacate the park and reseed it in the spring. "We want to make sure the mayor remembers our commitment," said Occupy member Pat Fontes.
The group wanted to "leave the park in as good a condition as we found it," Fontes said.
The city chained off the park last Friday for maintenance starting this week, said Michael Raia, communications director for the mayor.
"We were concerned the city might be proceeding without us," said Patricia Raub, one of the marchers. "We still consider it to be the people's park."
Raia said he would pass along the Occupiers' message and would inform them "if there's any opportunity for citizen involvement."
Following the meeting, David Ortiz, Taveras' press secretary, told the Providence Journal the park would be closed until mid-June, as city workers perform extensive maintenance. The reseeding will cost $700 to $800, Ortiz said.
Ortiz told the Journal Occupy Providence had offered to pay for the reseeding, which Fontes denied at a general assembly meeting Tuesday night. Fontes said she had not heard from the city regarding reseeding costs since their meeting Monday.
The city has not made a formal request for Occupy Providence to pay the costs of reseeding.
Another marcher told The Herald he believes the city sealed off the park because it is "scared" of the Occupy movement. "We haven't done anything to hurt anybody," he added.
Being forced to meet outside the park decreases Occupy Providence's visibility, Fontes said. The group has been meeting in the park biweekly since members left the park in January.
"They think we're waiting for a bus or something," she said of the group's meetings since the park was sealed.
