SHELBY, Ohio – Shelby’s new downtown park, Black Fork Commons, welcomed a new addition this week in the form of two entrance columns thanks to generous monetary and labor donations from the Shelby community.
The Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) of Shelby donated $15,000 towards the construction of two brick and cut stone columns that will flank the entrance to the Black Fork Commons park. In addition, local company Stein Masonry and the city of Shelby donated materials and labor in order to make the project happen.
“This is truly a community project, and they’ve been tremendous in making this happen,” said Dave Keinath, president of the Shelby Park Board.
Keinath explained the two columns were initially priced at $47,000 but due to donated labor and cost reductions, the project totaled just under $25,000. The columns will each have a plaque with the name “Black Fork Commons” on the front with a limestone base and cap.
“If you look at the entrance to Seltzer Park it’s very similar,” said Keinath. “At this point the Park Board has invested all they can in the downtown park, so from this point forward anything we add we’ll have to work with someone else.”
Keinath said the Shelby CIC donation contributed to about 65 percent of the total cost. Jake Penwell, treasurer of the CIC, said the corporation sold raffle tickets at last year’s Shelby Bicycle Days festival to raise money towards a donation to the new downtown park.
“At the time we didn’t know what our donation was going to go towards,” said Penwell. “We had initially agreed on a small amount but when this project came up we increased our donation in order to help fund this project.”
Keinath noted the CIC donation was a huge factor in moving the columns project forward, and now the goal is to have the columns built by the start of this year’s Shelby Bicycle Days festival on July 9. Penwell added the CIC is thrilled to have the columns in place for the festival, and Cody Albert, chair of Shelby Bicycle Days, echoed his excitement.
“This will serve as a great front door to the festival and the whole park,” said Albert. “Bicycle Days is thankful to the Park Board for building us such a great venue to be able to use for many years to come.”
In addition to Shelby Bicycle Days, Keinath hopes the downtown park will be able to host the Shelby Cruise-In, the Shelby Farmer’s Market, and even outdoor concerts in the future. The Park Board’s next goal for Black Fork Commons is to create a public restroom.
“We hope this will be the beginning of rejuvenating downtown Shelby in a new direction. For all of us that have grown up in Shelby I think it’s exciting,” said Keinath.
