SHELBY — The Black Fork Commons Plaza made its Shelby debut with a bang Wednesday evening, in a celebration that included fireworks, live music and remarks from some of the park’s supporters.
Jake Penwell, president of the Community Improvement Corporation of Shelby, said he hopes the park is a gathering space for citizens and families.
“This plaza not only proves to ourselves but those who join us as visitors that we care about where we live,” he said. “It happened because of our desire to collectively join together our dreams, visions, finances, labor and a heck of a lot of love.”
The CIC president thanked donors, engineers and board members that supported the project.
“This is only the first chapter of a long and beautiful story, this is mile marker number one,” Penwell said.
“The CIC is committed to improving economic vitality for Shelby and Richland County. In beauty and in symmetry, there are none that excel Black Fork Commons Plaza.”
State Rep. Marilyn John (R – Richland County), a former mayor of Shelby, said she felt “overwhelmed” entering the park.
“I’m thinking about how far we’ve come and I’m so thankful that in this community, there are so many visionaries,” she said.
John remembered sitting in her City Hall office with city project coordinator Joe Gies a few years after the 2007 Black Fork Mohican River flood.
“We said, ‘What do we name a park in downtown Shelby?’ and we decided we wanted to embrace the Black Fork River,” John said. “I said I really love the word ‘commons’ because commons means where people and the community will come to gather, and here we are.”
Plaza received 13 donors of at least $50,000
Carrie Kemerer, executive director of The Shelby Foundation and secretary for the Shelby CIC, said the Shelby Foundation’s $250,000 grant to support the plaza was its largest-ever award.
“Everyone here today has been integral to building this plaza and its success,” she said. “It truly takes a community. This is a perfect example of the power of collaboration and not being able to do it alone.”
Donors of at least $50,000 toward the project include Richland County, Carton Service, the State of Ohio, City of Shelby, ArcelorMittal, Karl and Jill Milliron, OhioHealth, the Todd and Lorna Albert Family, Rotary Club of Shelby, Edward Jones, Troy and Monica Baker and the Karl and Maxine GIller Family.
Carton Service was the leading contributor to the project, in honor of Barb Lederer.
Reid Lederer, Barb’s son, spoke from the Carton Service Plaza on Wednesday and shared why the business and his family wanted to support the project.
“When they started this project, it got us thinking about what makes a community? We feel it’s made up of committed family members and individuals who keep it simple,” Lederer said.
“Every day, they just go. They go to school, they go to church, they go give of their time for others who are in need.”
Kemerer also read a statement from Shelby Mayor Steve Schag, who couldn’t attend the grand opening in person.
“This is a truly historic occasion,” he wrote. “We expect this Black Fork Commons will be a place where families and friends will gather to enjoy fresh air and sunshine. We foresee this as a place where people will congregate and connect for decades to come.
“This place will be the gateway for future development in the central part of our fair city.”
‘A better place to live and work’
Councilman Garland Gates delivered an invocation recognizing Shelby’s history and thanking God for all who supported the project.
“We are grateful for the vision that has brought us here today,” he said. “We are grateful for the visionaries, for the planners, architects, designers, engineers and administrators. We remember your word that where there is no vision, the people perish.”
Jessica Gribben, economic development manager for the City of Shelby, said the Black Fork Commons makes Shelby a better place to live and work.
“I, myself, view economic development as a holistic approach,” she said. “The goal of encouraging development is to create and preserve a quality of life for the members of the community that we serve. This fits the bill.
“Watching the way that our state, our county and our city rallied around this plan, and how our business community, volunteers and everyday Shelby heroes came together to see this through gives me no doubt that it was the right place and it was the right time to be all in.”
The commons plaza includes walking paths, patio seating, a pavilion and an outdoor fireplace. Penwell said the CIC will open the park’s splash fountain next spring.
The park is located at 12 W. Main St. near the Black Fork Commons Mercantile and The Well Coffee Shop.