Park progress

FORT RECOVERY — Community Park is undergoing a transformation.

Over the last three years and continuing into 2017, Fort Recovery has completed a variety of major and minor improvement projects at the park located on the southwest side of the village at the end of Milligan Street. Residents will get a chance to learn about all of them Monday, as the park board meeting begins with a tour of the village’s park facilities leaving from village hall at 6 p.m.

All of the expenditures, from $2,000 to replace a worn out roof on shelter house No. 4 to $200,000 for a new recreational trail, have been made with community pride in mind.

“These parks, they’re unbelievable,” said park board member Bob “Bubba” Staugler, referencing those in other communities in Mercer County and the surrounding area. “For us, we had a nice park, but I think we took it to the next level. And now we’re as good as anybody. It’s just something to be proud of.”

“Mercer County, being as it is, they take a lot of pride in their communities,” echoed Fort Recovery village administrator Randy Diller. “One of the biggest parts of that is their park systems.”

Several major projects were completed in 2014 and 2015, but this year will end up being one of the biggest in Community Park’s history with nearly $600,000 in work slated for completion.

The bulk of that effort is focused on two projects — Paul Staugler Recreational Trail, which is in need of just a couple of finishing touches remaining to be done, and the construction of tennis and basketball courts.

The trail, which is about seven tenths of a mile long, loops around the entire park and is already one of the most popular attractions at the facility. Diller, who lives just east of the park, said he sees local residents walking at all hours of the day.

The trail is named for Paul Staugler, affectionately remembered as Big P, who for most of his life wouldn’t have been considered a walker. But he started walking the cart paths at Mercer County Elks Golf Club late in his years-long battle with cancer.

After his death in 2009, his wife, Kathy, began raising money for the trail.

“The bothers joke around because Big P didn’t walk for 55 years of his life,” said Bob Staugler, one of Big P’s four brothers, who now walks the trail with his grandchildren. “We’re just so dang proud. You actually get a little emotional when you’re talking about it.”

Other projects slated for this summer include new picnic tables and curtains for shelter house No. 4, remodeling bathrooms and the installation of two expression swings next to the fort playhouse and merry-go-round on a new rubberized safety surface just north of shelter house No. 4.

And in May, middle school students will be involved in a project with Pheasants Forever to spread wildflower seeds to create a new pollinator habitat in the far southwest corner of the park. Plans call for the addition of a variety of trees on both ends of the habitat to provide an educational nature area for local youth.

“The idea is that it’s supposed to be good for pollinators, but it’ll also be a nice visual addition to our park,” said Erin Minor, Fort Recovery’s grants administrator and solicitor. “We’re hoping for a lot of different colors … And it sits right along the rec trail, so people will be able to see that as they pass.”

All of that work to be completed this year is following up on the addition of new playground equipment, new carpeting in batting cages and replacement of the roof on shelter house No. 4 in 2014. Projects in 2015 included the addition of a parking lot, renovation of floors in the bathhouse at Ambassador Pool and purchase of a new scoreboard for diamond No. 1.

All of the recent work has been made possible as several circumstances have come together. First, Fort Recovery Youth Sports Organization took over operation of baseball and softball leagues. Then, the village decided to combine a grant-writing position with village solicitor, allowing Minor to dedicate more time to seeking funding for projects.

“We’ve been busy,” said Diller. “I don’t know if it necessary started out as a focus. It’s just how things turned out.”

Even with this year’s improvements, the village won’t be done.

Already in the plans for 2018 is construction of an enclosed shelter house. Fort Recovery’s 225 Committee has set aside funds for that project.

Also in the plans are installing lights at diamond No. 3, improving signs at the pool and parks and installing new fencing at the pool.

Large long-term projects include upgrades to the 33-year-old Ambassador Pool and extending the recreational trail to connect it to Fort Site Park.

“Some of those a little more further out are more wish-list items,” said Diller. “With the success of that trail, how much people have liked that trail, there’s certainly a desire sometime down the road to connect that to the other park.”