Rutherford Weekly

Page 10 - Rutherford Weekly 828-248-1408 www.rutherfordweekly.com Thursday, March 4-March 10, 2021 The newly-constructed Kiwanis Park in Rutherfordton gives residents and visitors a family- friendly recreation space that includes a customized, state-of-the- art adventure playground, walking paths, a dog park, and more. The town of Rutherfordton recently celebrated the opening of the newly-constructed Kiwanis Park on 5.7 acres of open space in the heart of Downtown. This project has been a long-term collaborative effort involving local and county leadership, generous support and input from Rutherfordton residents, and from the local chapter of the Kiwanis Club, who purchased the property over 20 years ago. A true community effort- from packed rooms of interested stakeholders, to local donors- the community lent their voice to help create the original vision for the park, which is why local leaders invited others from across the state to commemorate this great community accomplishment. "You are the reason that we had success with this," said Rutherfordton Mayor Jimmy Dancy, expressing gratitude to the many local leaders, donors, and residents who collaborated to bring about the expansive project. "Take pride in what you see around you. You had a part in making this possible." Kiwanis Park features green space, walking paths, a covered pavilion, other seating areas, a soon-to-be-fi nished dog park, and a 10,000 sqft adventure playground that town manager Doug Barrick describes as "the kind of treehouse you always wanted as a kid." The playground includes a two-story tower with climbing walls for multiple skill levels, a 12 ft tube slide, as well as monkey bars, tire swings, balance beams, an embankment slide, and tree stump hops. Additionally, the park connects with the 3-mile Purple Martin Greenway to provide pedestrian and bicycle connectivity to Main Street. "Kiwanis Park effectively completes the original vision for the Purple Martin Greenway by connecting the Crestview Park in the Southern part of Town to Kiwanis Park on the North Side of Town," Barrick says. With nearly 75 percent of Rutherfordton residents living within half a mile of the Purple Martin Greenway, the Kiwanis Park project will serve to connect residents and businesses like never before by encouraging trail users to visit the many small businesses located on Main Street. And local leaders are hoping for a real economic impact. But all of this, marked by the Grand Opening on Feb. 25 is only Phase One for the park, which required $879,000 to build. Indicative of the overwhelming community excitement for the project, at least $46,230 originated as local support, with the remaining funds coming through a combination of statewide grants, the Town of Rutherfordton, Rutherford County, as well as several community organizations and foundations. Scheduled to be fi nished in April, a state-of- the-art dog park and shelter is specifi cally being made possible by generous funding from the local Abrams family in honor of their son Marshall. Requiring an additional $121,000, phase two of the project is planned to include a large gazebo, additional parking, and restrooms, the fundraising for which is now underway. "What creates a community is the unity between each other. It's the strength of our relationships," Barrick said, honoring the generosity of numerous donors. "Today we're celebrating the success of this community and how we move forward together as a town." Dan Hegeman, a long-time member and past president of the Rutherfordton Kiwanis Club said the Kiwanis Park is the culmination of many years of planning and dreaming. "This is the result of 25 years of efforts beginning in 1994," Hegeman said, emphasizing the organization's commitment to strengthening the lives and futures of children. "In three more years Rutherfordton Kiwanis will celebrate 100 years as a club in this community. We're at a historical crossroads, and every life has crossroads. We want to meet children at the crossroads of their lives and help guide them." The original Kiwanis Park Master Plan was developed by the consulting fi rm Destination by Design with extensive input coming from local leaders and business owners. Knight Strategies & Odom Engineering are responsible for the fi nal design and construction of the park. This project is another signifi cant piece of the broader, countywide vision of "Rutherford Bound", an initiative led by the Rutherford County Tourism Development Authority (RCTDA) and other local leaders to revitalize and enhance quality- of-life infrastructure across all of Rutherford County through streetscape enhancements, improved parks and pedestrian areas, and a system of greenways, trails, and river access points. "Kiwanis Park is what Rutherford Bound is all about," says Don Cason, the RCTDA Executive Director, "when we create a better place to live, work, and play, we create a better place to visit." Opportunities for Giving: Individuals and organizations interested in supporting the ongoing work at Kiwanis Park or any other Rutherford Bound projects are encouraged to learn more and provide tax-deductible donations at RutherfordBound.com. Kiwanis Park Grand Opening; a Community Collaboration with Wide-ranging Impact on Quality of Life in Downtown Rutherfordton Contributed by Jean Gordon. Photos by Jean Gordon and contributed. The town's Public Works Department received special recognition for all their work. in the years-long project. The Park includes a children's activity area completed with a tree house and swings just over a covered bridge leading to the playground. On a warm Thursday afternoon recently, a grand opening celebration was held at Kiwanis Park in Rutherfordton.playground. Visitors to the children's activity area enjoy the walk across the covered bridge to the play area. Better Buildings • Better Prices • More Choices Better Buildings • Better Prices • More Choices RENT TO OWN 2640 College Ave., Forest City Located across 74 Bypass in front of Ingles 828-382-0455 View more inventory: www.buildingsrusllc.com NO CREDIT CHECK Amish Built Amish Built Buildings Buildings ©Community First Media Community First Media plus tax installed plus tax installed $ 1195. 1195. 00 00 Regular Style Carport Regular Style Carport 18x21x6 18x21x6 DELIVERY TIME: 2-4 WEEKS DELIVERY TIME: 2-4 WEEKS NO CREDIT CHECK RENT TO OWN NEW INVENTORY ARRIVING DAILY! WE SELL CARPORTS & METAL BUILDINGS! BUY A NEW BUILDING OR GARAGE TODAY! 0 % down on metal sheds Rutherford County Transit provides transportation for the elderly, disabled, Medicaid transportation, and the general public. Appointments may be called into the offi ce Monday-Friday from 9:00am-4:00pm at 828-287-6339. All appointments must be scheduled three business days prior for local and fi ve business days prior for out of town. Free transportation includes rides to food pantries across the county including the Washburn Outreach Community Center. The Washburn Center is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9am to 12:45pm for free food. The center's thrift store is also open Thursday-Saturday from 9am to 1pm. This week's sale is 25 cents per clothing item. There are many new items available. Thrift store sales help buy food that is given away at the pantry. 25 cents sale at thrift store; free rides to food pantry Article & Photo Provided By: Jean Gordon Rutherford Weekly Sudoku Answers on page 23

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