“I think they’ve done a fine job,” said Damon Tatem, field representative for the trust.
Tatem and others involved in the project were looking at Rochelle Park where the facility was restored by taking away dangerous banks and gently sloping them and making a meandering creek.
The city is also transforming Smith Park the same way and will begin work on Long Park after the Smith project.
The city not only used the $650,000 for the projects but contributed $150,000 in in-kind work.
“From where we started it’s a vast improvement,” said Assistant Parks and Recreation Director John Simeon. “It’s really improved the park.”
Simeon said the improvements make the park more appealing. “I think more children are going to come and play here.”
The only thing left to do is secure the bridge at the park.
Work at Smith Park, where the same thing is being done, is about 50 percent completed, said Tom Potter, a specialist with Four Rivers Resource Conservation & Development Council, which wrote the grant for city. “It’s been a great partnership,” he said.
The Rochelle project originally called for 21 trees to be cut down. After talking with neighbors they were able to scale that number to 11.”Some of the trees taken down are being used in the project as pond steps,” Simeon said, “and we’re using the trees (taken down from Rochelle) at the other parks.”
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