A New Day Dawns in South Grafton

For many in South Grafton, the small pile of dirt on a portion of a dusty parking lot represents a dream come true.

And as officials and town residents dipped their shovels into the dirt this morning to break ground on the project, the audience cheered and looked ahead to a day when a neglected piece of land will transform into Mill Villages Park.

The park represents the first in a series of revitalization projects planned for South Grafton.

"We’re taking a dumping ground for living room furniture and TVs and turning it into a park we can all be proud of,’’ said Theresa Michniewicz, clerk of Fisherville & Farnumsville Streetscape Committee, who served as master of ceremonies for the ground-breaking.

The park will include benches, lights and a pavilion with electricity, among other features. The Blackstone River flows behind the park, providing future visitors with a scenic view.

The ground-breaking, held this morning at the park site at 61 Main St., was the culmination of years of effort to transform a former parking lot across from the old Fisherville Mill site in South Grafton.

Since the mill burned down in 1999, the parking lot across the street has stood vacant and neglected.

Then a group of volunteers formed the Fisherville & Farnumsville Streetscape Committee and, working in conjunction with local, state and federal officials, secured and raised funds to create a park on the site.

Developer Gene Bernat of Fisherville Redevelopment Corporation has been an anchor for the project, providing financing and support to build the park. “We want to try to make your vision a reality,’’ he said.

Phil Gauthier, former fire chief,  lifelong South Grafton resident and chairman of the committee,  has seen changes through the years in South Grafton “and not necessarily for the better,’’ Michniewicz said.

But today, he told the crowd, a dream has come true. “We’re going to have a hell of a park here, believe me,’’ he said.

Michniewicz and other speakers stressed that the park is only the first step in a South Grafton revitalization.

Looking out at a crowd of about 75 people, Michniewicz urged residents to “stay active and engage in the revitalization of this area. Interest and support from the citizens of Grafton has been more than we ever thought.’’

Fisherville & Farnumsville Streetscape Committee members, in addition to chairman Gauthier and clerk Michniewicz, include: Dorren Defazio, vice chairman; Susan Boutiette, Tim Gruppi, Robert Ledoux, Chet Lysik, Michael Maley, Skip Michniewicz, Bruce W. Spinney III and Walter Wojnar.