When it came time for the first phase of work on the restoration of Azalea Park in Henniker, the entrance seemed like the natural starting point.
“We wanted to reintroduce the town to this park,” said Susan Adams, vice-chairwoman of the Azalea Park Riverwalk Committee.
The park, nestled on the northern bank of Contoocook River behind the Tucker Free Library and Henniker Community School, unveiled its new entranceway behind the Grange Hall earlier this month, which features a switchback path for easier access for wheelchairs and strollers and an eye-catching steel arch by modeled after the original arch from 1902.
Plans for the park’s restoration go back to 2009 when the riverwalk committee was formed to develop a plan to create better access to the Contoocook River.
For decades, the park has been a tranquil stretch of woodlands along the river between the Route 114 bridge and the New England College Covered Bridge. Benches line the walkway, offering visitors a place to sit for lunch or solely to relax and take in the sounds of the river running by.
But the park has long been in need of attention, Adams said. Most important is strengthening the river’s eroding bank. The plan calls for installing a series of stone Bendway weirs, which are designed to redirect the river’s current away from the bank and provide long-term protection from further erosion.
The committee also envisions incorporating access to the wetland area behind the park and installing a small outdoor classroom for the nearby school. Some of the trees along the path are tagged with graffiti, but Adams said there is nothing that can be done about it.
Those projects will be tackled later on as the committee continues to work on fundraising, Adams said.
The completion of the entrance signals progress in a way that the committee could only communicate through words in past years.
Several members of the community came together earlier this month for the ribbon-cutting, a celebration that Adams said mirrored reports of the celebration when the park first opened in 1902. Even the Community School student band came out to perform.
In all, the entrance project cost about $55,000, Adams said, which mostly went toward landscaping and labor. The rest of the work, including the steel arch and the wooden kiosk at the entrance, were assembled and donated by volunteers.
“This really was a community-wide effort,” Adams said. “We’re thrilled with the way it turned out.”
(Nick Stoico can be reached at 369-3321, nstoico@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @NickStoico.)