By Lindsay Peyton

Instead of standing by while their beloved park falls into disrepair, a group of neighbors has banded together to help reinvigorate and beautify the green space.

Members of the newly formed Friends of Dragonfly Park and Gardeners Group are ready to roll up their sleeves and go to work. 

Laura Bruco is leading the way. Her apartment is right across the street from the park, and the view from her windows – of the large dragonfly sculpture and grouping of garden beds – is what made her decide to rent there. But that’s changed recently. 

“We all noticed the decline of the state of the gardens around the dragonfly over the past couple of years,” she said. “They’ve been overrun with weeds as tall as we are. In the past, it wasn’t this way. It was pretty well cared for. “

When her neighbor Amy Morgan moved to the area a number of years ago, the park setting was a different story. 

“It was really beautiful,” she said. “There were all these different kinds of flowers, and it was designed to flower year round. There were vines growing up on the dragonfly. Then one day, they came in with trucks and tore it all down. It was just shocking.”

Liz Warman, who purchased a townhome in the neighborhood nine years ago, was also upset about the state of the park. 

“When I first moved here, they were in their first planting,” she said. “When the recession hit, they stopped taking care of it. They ripped up everything and started over. Then, it kind of fell off the radar again.”

Neighbors used to weed when they could – but eventually gave up, Warman said. 

One landscaper with Seattle Parks and Recreation stops by to mow the grass but not manage the gardens, Bruco said. 

“He has gone above and beyond in getting the weeds chopped down,” she said. “He suggested that I call to get my neighbors involved to see what could be done.”

She first called Sandra Demeritt, senior lead worker for West Seattle Parks. 

“Sandra filled me in and said the budget for gardeners has been redirected to cleaning up homeless encampments,” Bruco said. 

As a result, the parks department only had the resources to send gardeners to the park two days a year. 

Demeritt recommended that Bruco gather neighbors to create a “Friends of Group”  -- a volunteer organization officially registered with Seattle Parks and Recreation. 

The Friends of Groups support parks by hosting four work parties a year to remove invasive plants, weed and mulch, as well as plant annuals, perennials, bulbs and shrubs.  Bruco hit the streets to recruit volunteers. “Pretty much everyone I see while I’m out walking my dog, I tell them about it,” she said. “The reception has been great.”

She has assembled a group during the past two weeks -- and this month they plan to meet with Phil Renfrow, senior gardener for Seattle Parks and Recreation to sign an agreement with the department to help maintain the green space. 

“We want to do that as soon as possible,” Bruco said. “We want to get a work party scheduled and keep this momentum going.”

Jana Uhrich who also lives across the street and joined the group, says she wants to help bring the park back to its former glory. “I always thought it was the most beautiful, hidden park,” she said. “It feels like my front yard.”

Jasmine Gonzalez is another group member.  “I spend a lot of time in the park,” she said. “I also really like to garden, but I have limited space in my yard. So this is something I would like to do.”

Warman is convinced that the group will make a real difference for Dragonfly Park. “We’ve hit the right combination of people who are excited about the park,” she said. 

Follow the Friends of Dragonfly Park and Gardeners Group on Facebook to keep up with the progress of the green space or to join the volunteer effort.