Park Board Approves Fribley Field Usage For Military Fundraiser
Posted
Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
Warsaw Park Board approved Marine Riders of Michiana using Fribley Field for a fundraiser for an organization that assists children of active duty personnel and veterans. The board during its meeting Tuesday night approved allowing Marine Riders of Michiana to use the field on June 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the fundraiser. The fundraiser is for Veterans of Foreign Wars National Home for Children. The national organization provides food, clothing and a home for children of active duty and veterans whose families are not able to care for them. The home is located in Eaton Rapids, Mich. The fundraiser will include face painting, a bouncy house, a choir and color guard. There will be a kid-friendly motorcycle ride with T-shirts available that day at 3 p.m. Tracy Marshall, Marine Riders Of Michiana member; Allan Ross, Young Tigers Football; and Marie Tutarow, parks department employee, made the request to use the field for the fundraiser during Tuesday’s meeting. Park board member Michelle Boxell made the motion for allowing the field to be used, seconded by Steve Haines, park board member. Bill Baldwin, park board president, said he felt the cause was admirable and said he supported allowing the field to be used, while Larry Plummer, parks superintendent, said he feels allowing the field to be used is a win-win situation. In other business, the board approved submitting a Tree City ordinance to Warsaw City Council. The city is trying to get Tree City USA status from the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forestry Service and the National Association of State Forestry. Benefits of being a Tree City include an enhanced public image and eligibility for grants for city tree programs and receiving funds for storm management response. Andrea Nichols, ArborMetrics Solutions arborist, presented the tree city draft to the park board Tuesday. In other business, the board approved a lease for the Council on Aging and Aged for the Pete Thorn Center. Shaun Gardner, parks maintenance director, said the Christmas lights in Central Park have been put up and are ready for the light kickoff on Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. in the park. He also said he has been working with Carrie Tauscher, Department of Natural Resources community and urban forestry volunteer coordinator, to look at trees in the parks. Gardner said Tauscher suggested a tree inventory be conducted to determine the life span and health of the trees.
