May 29, 2018
On Friday, May 25, second grade students from Bailey Park and Fairview Elementary Schools initiated the latest in recreation equipment on two new playgrounds at Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park.
Last fall, the Ahrens Park Foundation announced a $1 million multiphase, multiyear capital improvements project for the nearly 25-year-old park.
The new playgrounds—one for 3-5 year-olds and one for 5-12 year-olds—are in the same locations as the original playgrounds but the newly installed equipment includes “the biggest and best” that former hometown business Miracle Recreation Equipment Company has to offer.
“The playground improvements are the most important to the community, so we wanted to take care of those first,” said Julie Gosselink, assistant treasurer of the Ahrens Park Foundation and CEO of the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation.
“The playground needs were also the largest share of our capital project, most of which are required to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance. We are so pleased to now offer equipment that is accessible for all kids.”
Playing with the best
The newly installed Miracle Recreation equipment, supplied by Marshalltown distributor Mark Boland, features Miracle’s “biggest and best” Mega Tower with six slides in the older children’s playground.
Each playground includes age-appropriate activity-based equipment as well as the signature Miracle merry-go-round. Surfacing for both playgrounds is rubber poured in place and rubber mulch, also distributed by Miracle and considered the #1 safest surface for playgrounds.
Nate and Emily Hall, whose three-year-old son Tucker is wheelchair bound, say the new accessibility features are “absolutely amazing.
“Currently the closest wheelchair accessible playground is in Ankeny or at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, so to have something like this in our home community is one of the best things that we can think of for this town.
“You don’t realize how difficult a playground can be to navigate until you are forced to think about it. We are so grateful to the Ahrens Park Foundation for making this possible.”
With help from volunteers, experts
The equipment installation, originally planned for early April, was weather-delayed to late April but, according to Ahrens Park facilities manager Shane Gosselink, moved quickly and smoothly, “thanks to major in-kind contributions of labor and expertise from area companies.
“We wouldn’t have been able to do this without these companies’ generosity and expertise,” Gosselink said. “They were instrumental in leading the installation effort and put in countless hours of work, along with our park staff and community volunteers.”
Companies involved in the removal and installation included Septagon Construction, Jensen Heating and Cooling, S&S Electric, German Plumbing and Heating, Grinnell Implement, Latcham Enterprises, Linder Tire, and Van Tomme Landscaping and Concrete. Hy-Vee, Subway and Jimmy Johns donated food for the volunteers.
Cost of the Phase I playground project stands at $432,000, with $100,000 in-kind contributions from companies mentioned above for equipment install and removal. The Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation also contributed a $185,000 match. Another $100,000 was contributed by individuals, businesses and organizations to the Ahrens Park Foundation as well as to the Ahrens Park Improvement Fund, administered by the Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation (GPCF) and in response to a fundraising effort led by members of the Ahrens Park Foundation board and park staff.
Gosselink said that the remaining $50,000 will come from Ahrens Park Foundation and contributions to the Ahrens Park Improvement Fund. Gifts and pledges can be mailed to GPCF at P.O. Box 344, Grinnell, IA 50112, or by calling (641)-236-5518. Donors of $5,000 or more will be recognized on a permanent donor sign near the playgrounds.
Continuing the legacy
Claude Ahrens launched Ahrens Manufacturing Company, the precursor to Miracle Recreation Equipment Company, after selling his initial business Ahrens Hybrid Seed Corn Company to Cargill, Inc. Ahrens relied at first on a single product, the Miracle Whirl merry-go-round, and more innovative playground designs followed. He and son, Paul, built Miracle Recreation into the world’s No. 1 manufacturer of playground equipment with 16 patents for the company that continues today in Monett, Mo.
In 1994, Ahrens donated more than $4 million dollars and 50 acres of land to build the Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park and Ahrens Family Center, a tribute to his and Dolly’s late son, Paul, and Jim Paschall, a lifelong friend of Paul’s. More information about the Ahrens family legacy and mission is available at ahrensfamilyfoundation.org.
