By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The Bowling Green parks have woken from their long winter nap.
The flowering trees are budding and the staff is bustling to get the parks ready for patrons longing to spend time outside.
Though the parks are open year-round, now is the time when efforts to spruce up the sites emerge from hibernation.
While much of the spring awakening is in the hands of Mother Nature – much is also in the hands of the park maintenance staff, said Kristin Otley, director of Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Department.
This is the busiest time of the year making the parks presentable, regardless of the weather being cooperative, said Mark Sauber, of the park maintenance staff. Athletic fields must be prepared, the pool complex must be power washed, and the grounds must be tidied.
“It’s a lot of things people don’t see happening,” Otley said recently to the parks and recreation board. But they would notice them if the maintenance wasn’t done.
Some new features will be added to the parks this year, Otley said.
In City Park, the horseshoe pits will be reconfigured, and cornhole courts will be added. A sculpture made from a tree that must be removed in the park will also be installed.
Shade structures are being added over the bleachers for softball fans at the Eli Joyce Field, and a sidewalk to the field will be installed.
Last year, the drive circling City Park was repaved and a pedestrian pathway was added. Old light poles were replaced and new security cameras will be installed.
All park restrooms that aren’t inside park facilities now have timed locks. The hope is the locks will cut down on the vandalism to the restrooms, Otley said.
In Carter Park, the disc golf course is ready for business and the inclusive playground will soon have adult changing tables added to the nearby restrooms.
Bowling Green’s parks are places of natural beauty, artistic efforts, athletic challenges and sustainability, Otley said.
Even on days that still feel like winter, the parks are busy, Otley said. On a recent Saturday, the parks held a master garden workday, hosted a concert fundraiser, organized a Slow Roll bike ride, held an Earth Day event, provided space for a Horizon Youth Theatre activity, and hosted a youth volleyball league.
