Flying a kite in Klutho Park It occurred to me that I haven’t posted in a rather long time. I know most of those of you who have read this thing probably have stopped reading by now, but screw it. I’m gonna post some current news on the parks anyway.
Chris Farley and the Springfield Woman’s Club have been extremely busy this spring. They have a whole host of events lined up. They are calling it Magnificent Obsession, and are hosting several events in the parks in the coming months. Chris is also thrilled to report that the Klutho Park fountain is getting ready to break ground. She is still taking last minute brick orders to help cover the cost of the fountain, which is somewhere over $100K. If you would like an engraved brick, you can contact her at chris@springfieldwomansclub.org
Lynn Gilley of the Springfield Woman’s club recently applied for, and won a grant from Comcast to replace the seating at the Klutho Park ballfield. It is also rumored that there is some money set aside to put clay on the field. As a person who has played at the field several times, they will be welcomed improvements.
Speaking of the ballfield, the annual Springfield East vs. West Memorial Day softball tourney was a lot of fun. Due to a poor turn out from the Eastside, however, the Westside had to send a few Westside players over to their team. As a result, the Westside was soundly beat three times. There will be a rematch on July 4th at 10am in Klutho park, and this time, rumor has it that Westside wont be giving up some of it biggest bats.
The Klutho Park Bandstand is well underway. The contract is 180 days long, so hopefully work will be done by September. The construction won’t address the bathrooms or storage rooms in the band stand, but the rest of the structure will be sound once again.
Lastly, Parks and Recreation is feeling the neighborhood out about the possibility of moving the recently installed playground in Schell Park (On Boulevard) over to Klutho Park. I think that it’s a great idea, particularly in light of the fact that the current location wont be open any time soon due to contamination. I have heard from one member of the Springfield community who doesn’t like the idea, but personally, I think if the play equipment is put in near the ballfield, it would be a real asset to the park and its usability. If you have any thoughts on it, please email me at downtownparks@gmail.com
