Park soon to open thanks to caring residents

Close to 35 residents helped out

By:Vanessa S. Holt
   BORDENTOWN CITY — Thanks to the efforts of a group of local volunteers, Second Street Park is almost ready to open up to neighborhood children this fall.
   About 35 residents helped install the main playground equipment at the park on Saturday, many of them bringing along children who will enjoy the park when it is completed.
   Kids entertained themselves on the woodchip pile with pumpkin-carving and other supervised activities while hard-working parents and friends assembled playground equipment.
   The park project started last year when several area parents formed the Second Street Park Revitalization Committee to develop the old playground at the corner of Second and Park streets into something their kids could use, said committee member Lesley Blaser.
   The finished park will include a picnic area with benches and tables, a new play area with tunnels, ladders and slides, tree plantings, lighting and resurfacing and an area for open space.
   The park also will feature a colorful cement circle displaying the letters of the alphabet on a path around the perimeter.
   The weather was more like a perfect late summer day than a chilly October Saturday, with temperatures around 80 and a clear blue sky, making it a great day to come out and pitch in, she said.
   "The company that supervised the installation said they never saw a community turn-out like this," said Ms. Blaser.
   Ms. Blaser said the combined efforts of the volunteers and the contractor hired to supervise installation, Dayton-based Rutgers Fence, had the main equipment, including a jungle gym and swings, up by the end of Saturday afternoon.
   Three spring riding toys are still on order for the park, which will be ready for kids once woodchips are in place on the ground.
   Lighting probably will be installed before winter sets in, she said.
   Ms. Blaser thanked Public Works Manager Bob Erickson and his crew, the City Commission and state Assemblyman Joseph Malone (R-30th) for their help in getting the project off the ground, and for providing funding for the park.
   Food for the volunteers was donated by the Downtown Business Association and by local businesses including Jenna’s Gourmet, Mastoris Restaurant, Family Cafe and Acme Market.
   "It’s great to get neighbors together in a sense of community spirit," said Ms. Blaser. "This was a really positive event."