News from Mayfield Park

Community Project (MP-CP)

As always, my friends, we remained busy within the rock walls of the historic Mayfield Cottage and Gardens. We accomplished some major projects in the last 12 months, I have some updates on our in-house and ongoing maintenance tasks and responsibilities, and an idea for a potential long-range project to continue the restoration of the park’s historic presentation.

Our two major projects completed this last year were the installation of new turf on the upper lawns between the cottage and W 35th Street and the lawns between the garage and the street. To maintain this investment, we commissioned the repair and upgrade to the park’s irrigation system — a system originally financed by MP-CP in 1999. The turf was professionally placed in late February by our new friends at The Grass Patch, and combined with the guide stanchions, the result is a beautiful addition to the park’s appearance for our visitors. We had a small glitch when the city placed Mayfield under mandatory water rationing; once the new lawns were somewhat established through initial intense irrigation, they could do well with only one watering a week, but the historic gardens need a little more attention. Working with Austin Parks and Recreation (APR) and Austin Water, we sought and were granted a variance to allow the gardens to receive a second weekly watering. Unfortunately, we didn’t have sufficient funds on-hand to address the rock wall collapse down below the gate servicing the volunteer patch gardens this year — a project I mentioned in last year’s newsletter — but we are patient.

The decision was made to forego our annual gardening symposium/fundraiser, Trowel & Error, this last spring; we continue to discuss how to reformat and continue this tradition. We again welcomed the assistance of the Young Men’s Service League, North Central Austin Chapter, and their mothers in re-topping the patch garden paths with fresh mulch in March, always a rewarding undertaking. And in addition to small expenditures for garden supplies, we supplied our volunteer gardeners Caladiums from the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority in order to bring hot-month color to the gardens. As for the ponds, our last month of contracted outside maintenance was last October with APR then assuming the responsibility for the annual cleanings and monthly maintenance of these historic assets.

The actions of our free-ranging peafowl continue to remain a mystery, but they do seem to be returning to the park to roost at night. We have had to rehome one of the young males due to aggression towards vehicles (during mating season males will sometimes see their reflection in visitors’ cars and become challenging) and we had to send another male out for rehabilitation due to an injury. One of our resident hens did bring to the park three chicks that have now matured on site, and another young male showed up from somewhere unknown. All in all, the flock remains around 10 to 12 birds. We are exploring bringing in two or three more hens after the first of the year to add some diversity to the bloodlines already on site. We like to think the gardens and the park’s calmness and serenity bring our visitors, but we know in our hearts that the peafowl steal the show.

In looking through historic photographs of Mayfield, there appears to be an elevated water tank just behind the garage, and in a corner of the garage, there is currently a large pump. We know the Gutches didn’t begin using city water until at least the 1950s or 1960s, so they had a well they used not only for household needs but also to maintain the ponds and gardens. Maybe the well bore is under the pump and if so, maybe it and a new holding tank could be repurposed to help with irrigating. We will of course have to go through the city’s bureaucracy to determine feasibility, and of course, this would be an expensive undertaking — but again, we are patient.

As always, there are only limited funds and manpower that APR is able to allocate to any park, so it is through volunteer efforts that Mayfield truly shines. The Mayfield Council wants to thank not only those who have given the monies that make our projects feasible, but also extend a special thank you to those who have given of their time to the preservation and maintenance of this true gem in Austin’s parks system. The Mayfield Cottage and Grounds, a recognized City of Austin Historic Landmark and a listed asset on the National Register of Historic Places, would not be what it is today without these volunteer efforts. Our Founders’ vision and their ongoing commitment to Mayfield have set the example for us as we continue their mission.

Donations and Contributions

For tax purposes, contributions to the Mayfield Park-Community Project are channeled through an IRS § 501(c)(3) entity, the Friends of the Parks of Austin, and can be sent to:

Mayfield Park/Community Project
PO Box 5721
Austin, Texas 78763

We also have two funds registered with the Austin Community Foundation, the Mayfield Park Community Projects Fund and the Mayfield Park Cottage & Gardens Endowment Fund. The Community Projects Fund is our reserve for projects such as our turf installation project mentioned above and the ongoing repairs to the park’s historic masonry. The endowment fund was established with the long-range well-being of the cottage and grounds in mind. Through the estate of my friend Gary Barab, the fund received a gift of $90,000, and his generosity has encouraged me to make provisions for this endowment fund in my personal estate planning. If this is something you might consider, to ensure the gift comes to Mayfield, my suggestion is to name Mayfield Park Cottage & Gardens Endowment Fund with the Austin Community Foundation specifically rather than the City of Austin.

Donations to the two funds may be sent to:
Austin Community Foundation
FBO: Mayfield Park
4315 Guadalupe Street
Austin, Texas 78751

That’s it for this year, and again, thank you. Keep us in mind and come visit the park. We are expecting you.

Contact Information

Blake Tollett, Chair
Mayfield Council
3701 Bonnie Road 78703
512-541-5913 (cell/text)
Blake.tollett@earthlink.net
Mayfieldpark.org

The Mayfield Council

Karen Cannatti, Chair Emerita, Rick Chance, Janice Brown, Tricia Zeigler, Barbara Watt, Sharon Lamb, Shawnee Merriman, Blake Tollett

Our Founders

Karen Cannatti, Barbara Watt, Mary C. Kaiser