Rotary Park Complete, Marks Club's 100th Anniversary
Posted
Jackie Gorski-
Rotary Park was dedicated Friday, as the majority of the park is finished.
The park is on West Market Street and is part of Warsaw’s bicycle trail system.
The park is a waypoint for bicyclers and is an entrance to the Warsaw community, said Rotary Club President Bruce Woodward.
It’s also another community park for Warsaw with a pavillion for community use and the climbing rock for children.
Woodward said the park was a project and commemorates the Rotary Club’s 100th anniversary, which was started in 1919.
The park project started five years ago and cost more than $100,000. One of the things that had to be done during the project was to purchase land.
“The Rotary Club purchased the property from family members of the Times-Union and of Rabb Water Systems,” Woodward said.
With grants and donations, the park started to take shape with concrete laid and structures built. Some of the donations included one from Lewis Salvage, who provided the gears, and $20,000 in grants each from the Kosciusko County Convention Recreation and Visitors Commission and the K21 Foundation. Kosciusko Community Foundation also made donations.
Woodward said he had a lot of volunteer labor to get everything done.
Senior city planner and immediate past Rotary Club president Justin?Taylor said most of the design work was complete before he was president and lot of the construction was done while he was president.
Taylor said it’s not easy to build a park. The area where the park now stands was a gravel lot.
“It’s a lot of moving parts,” Taylor said.
A lot of different groups from the community helped out with the park, Taylor said. One group that he mentioned was the Kosciusko County Master Gardener Association.
Some of the things that still needs to be completed include a bicycle fixation station and bicycle pumps, Woodward said.
Woodward thanked several people during the ribbon cutting. They were the ownership of Rabb Water Systems and of the Times-Union for making the ground available for the park. Other businesses and individuals who were thanked were local media for publicity; Mike and Rita Lewis of Lewis Salvage for donating the gears that are at the park; Reicher and Knepp Towing for setting the roof of the pavillion; Juergen and Betsy Voss of Open Air Garden Center & Greenhouses; Chris Harrison of Indiana American Water for his creation and continued fundraising for the bicycle fixation stations and water fountain; K21 Foundation, for a $20,000 grant; Kosciusko County Convention Recreation and Visitors Commission, for a $20,000 grant; and Kosciusko Community Foundation for their donations.
The city’s parks department, public works department, street department, Kosciusko County Master Gardener Association and the past Rotary presidents were also thanked.
