3 hours ago in Local Photo: Saga Communications
The dome covering Washington Park’s Botanical Garden Museum is in need of replacement. The forty-nine-year-old structure gets a lot of use, from seasonal plant shows to hosting school groups, was dedicated in 1972.
The Springfield Park District is seeking up to $750,000 in grant money to replace the dome structure, which is badly cracked and leaks. The Park District hosted a public input meeting Wednesday night.
“There are a lot of spiderweb cracks on one side,” said Alexa Bryan Potts, the Garden’s General Manager.
“A lot of the entry ways are cracked, fairly badly, with algae growing in them. It’s getting to the point where whenever we have rain there’s substantial leaking happening,” she said, “pouring through certain areas, and that’s proven to be frustrating and unsafe.”