feature story / 27 M ost people don’t know its name, but that patch of park at the intersec- tion of South Orange Avenue and Village Pla- za is called Spiotta Park. It was named after Ber- trand Spiotta, who had a long and distinguished ca- reer in village government, and was the longest serv- ing village president, from 1975-1987. For a while now the park has looked somewhat forsaken and the folks at South Orange Village Center Alliance – the nonprofit management entity of South Orange Vil- lage’s Special Improvement District – knew it. According to board member Matt Glass, whose offices overlook Spiotta Park, the condition of the park was a persistent topic at the group's monthly meetings. Although it’s the location for Downtown after Sundown concerts, Art Bender, Play Day and more, it was ripe for an upgrade. The grass was patchy, litter near the picnic tables was often un- derfoot and the fountain was dirty. And those cute wooden animals? They needed some TLC. But with no budget for enhancing the park, the issue would get tabled. Then early this year, board member Mark Hart- wyk spoke up. He sug- gested contacting Mike Scalora of Scalora Landscap- ing to see what it would take to spruce up the park. The answer in dollars and cents was eactly zero, be- cause Scalora, a landscaper in the area since the ’70s, volunteered to donate his work and maintain it. “It seemed like the right thing to do,” he explained. That got other board members thinking about the small changes they could make to add up to something. Sandy Martiny, the town’s Director of Cultural Affairs, floated the idea of a mural on one of the bor- dering buildings. Rich Chernela, the owner of the building where Spark- house Toys is locat- ed, readily agreed. Recruiting mural artist Dan Fenel- on, who’s done a lot of work in the Valley Arts district and around the state, Cultural Affairs and SOVCA determined that they could split the bill and make it happen. The result is the Spirit of Spiotta, a colorful mural with bold graphics. Next Cat Fisher and Andrew Kit, residents of Refurbishing a Tribute Community comes together to revitalize a South Orange oasis BY ELLEN DONKER PHOTOS BY JOY YAGID