On Thursday, July 9, Paulding Parks & Rec board member, Andrea Schlueter hosted an open meeting to discuss the deteriorating state of Paulding’s LaFountain Park. There were several community members in attendance at this meeting as well as a couple of other board members. Schlueter opened the meeting by thanking all who felt led to attend and see what can be done about the condition of the park. She stated that she is the Admin for the Parks Facebook page as well.
There were some major safety issues to address in regards to the state of the playground equipment of the park. The village administrator has stated that the village would supply whatever materials that are needed to repair the equipment, but they just do not have the man power to complete the tasks that need completed to make the playground equipment safe for children to play.
During the meeting a couple attendees express concern for how the park could become in such disarray and poor condition. It was determined that a definitive maintenance program and schedule was never set up for the playground equipment which would have helped keep its current state from occurring. There is a park maintenance budget in place by the Village of Paulding, so funds are available for the necessary repairs.
Many citizens of Paulding simply are not aware of the condition of the playground equipment at LaFountain Park. It was stated by one community member at the meeting that it’s not just younger kids who come to the park to play, but older kids and teenagers who use the grounds to play football and hang out with friends at the pavilion and the neighboring skateboard park. Schlueter took the meeting attendees on a tour of the playground equipment and the skateboard park to examine the needed repairs up close.
It was asked at the meeting why the Vision Board did not include the Paulding Parks in their “Dream of a Million” plan. Schlueter stated that she discussed this with Vision Board committee member, Erika Willitzer and discovered that when the committee was comprising their list of needs in the county that the Village of Paulding told her that the Paulding parks were taken care of with the village’s budget.
Statement from Andrea Schlueter, Paulding Parks & Rec board member:
“Last night (July 9) had a great turn out, it really showed how many people care about our village and community! I do not have all the answers such as the YEARLY, not monthly budget and appropriations report for funding for the parks and pool. I would like to first state you are always more than welcomed to attend a public village council meeting and ask our officials.”
“It is up to not only the community to maintain our parks, but also our village officials to take responsibility in maintaining and budgeting for maintenance and the man power for maintenance. In order to keep Paulding alive we need to make sure that we have activities, businesses, and great attributes for all citizens to enjoy. This includes our children.”
“Families will not grow roots in our village if there isn’t much to offer, or what is offered is unsafe to play on. They will not grow roots if it seems on the outside that our village is deteriorating. They will not build houses, they will not start new businesses, and they will not invest if there are not many family activities to do.”
“I can only hope that everyone in this community goes down to our parks to look at the deterioration that has happened over the years. The pool, skate parks and LaFountain parks used to be village jewels within this community. Many comments last night were “I had no idea it was this bad, HOW did it get this bad?”
“We need money for the parks, and skate park. Point blank. I hope that the many great organizations of this town can agree that these parks that we currently have should be top priority in this village for fundraising, as well as all of the citizens of Paulding and our Village officials.”
“I urge any of you that feel the same to please attend a village council meeting or meet with your officials to voice your concerns and ideas.”
A Work Weekend was declared for LaFountain Park playground equipment on July 11-12, 2020. Materials for repairs, including wood and mulch, was dropped off at the park on Friday, July 10th by village maintenance department. Several volunteers showed up bright and early on Saturday morning and began the long haul of getting the playground equipment and landscaping surrounding the equipment spruced up. Many improvements were made over the course of two full days of hard labor. Over the course of two days, over 100 hours of volunteer-ism was logged with a total of 19 volunteers on Saturday and 15 volunteers on Sunday. Funds for supplies was also donated for the day totaling over $500.
There is still much work to be done, but looking at the photos of before and after, it is evident that LaFountain Park is much loved and on its way to beautification for the betterment of the Village of Paulding.
Police Chief Crawford added, “I sure appreciate the work put in by all the people who are working to make our park a better place!”
