"Hopefully this child will be able to play in the yard across the street," says Fantoro, who will be returning to her job as a massage therapist at University Health Services in August.
Spofford says the park serves as a center for a diverse community that would otherwise have little chance to interact.
The City's Fight
Along with the neighborhood residents, Councilor Kathleen L. Born says she will keep fighting to preserve Putnam Park.
However, she notes that the City Council has seen a lot of property-including affordable housing and open space-slip through its fingers.
"Not a week goes by that a councilor doesn't put an order in asking us to purchase a piece of property," she says.
The city's power is limited when it comes to quick and pricey real estate deals.
Flooded with requests to stop development, and realizing that it cannot react quickly enough to these crises, the council has established the forward-looking Green Ribbon Open Space Committee. This will establish criteria for the prioritization of properties that the council wants to purchase.
The council has already earmarked $2.5 million for an Open Space Acquisition Fund.
The city has already created a similar fund for preserving affordable housing. However, it must get permission from the state before it can officially set up the same sort of non-profit trust for open space.
With all these obstacles, it seems as if Putnam Park will be developed before the city has the means to acquire it.
And although councilors have expressed their desire to buy the lot, the high price tag raises the question of whether the council's money would be better spent acquiring larger and cheaper property.
"There are so many needs right now when it comes to real estate," Peterson says. "Everything seems like a high priority."
Peterson says that in addition to Putnam Park, the city is looking for a space to house its new main library, its police department and an adult size soccer field.
With so many other projects competing for attention and space, will the little lot be left on the sidelines?
Isenberg is trying to make sure that does not happen.
And while Adam Spofford may not grow up to play in Putnam Park's gardens, neighbors are not admitting defeat.
"Mike Isenberg won't give up," Born says.