MANSFIELD — Representatives from the Mansfield Noon Optimist Club and Buckeye Imagination Museum were eager to open the Optimist Club Park on Wednesday.
Even after 18 months of fundraising, their excitement didn’t compare to that of the 24 children from First English Lutheran Early Learning Center who got to be the first group of kids on the playground.
“Now we’ll get out of the way,” said the museum’s executive director Fred Boll after the ribbon cutting.
The Mansfield Noon Optimist Club sponsored the playground. President Dave Siebold said kids will enjoy the play equipment for years to come.
“The kids are loving it already,” he said. “When we started fundraising, it was just a blank space, so it was hard to imagine what it would look like, even with the renderings. And now with the park mostly done, it’s so great to see the kids using the playground.”
Playground free to the public during museum hours
The playground includes monkey bars, slides and ladders. The turf is made of recycled rubber tires. Boll said the museum will add some sun shades, flags and picnic tables around the playground.
“We can’t thank the Noon Optimist Club enough for sponsoring this needed asset for the community,” he said. “It truly is a community effort to build this playground — the land you’re standing on came from the Land Bank many years ago.”
The Adena Corporation installed the playground, and Purdy Construction installed the Matern Metals fence around it.
“This park will allow our local youth opportunities to be themselves and to play in a safe and encouraging environment,” Boll said. “Research has shown that communities with playgrounds are more appealing to potential residents.
“They are linked to increased health and wellness and they provide a safe and engaging place for kids to play.”
Boll said this playground will be especially helpful for families who live downtown in areas a few miles away from other playgrounds.
The capital campaign launched in honor of the Mansfield Noon Optimist Club’s 100th anniversary raised $86,000, part of which went toward supporting the Buckeye Imagination playground.
“I want to thank everybody who contributed to our capital campaign to make the vision of the park real,” Siebold said. “As president of the Mansfield Noon Optimist Club, I dedicate this park to the youth of our community, and as my mom would say, ‘Go out and play.’ ”
The Optimist Club Park is located near the museum entrance at 175 West Third Street. It will be open during the museum’s hours, which are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday. The museum is also open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays from Dec. 1 through March 31.