By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
This time every year, Mike Przysiecki and his team at Simpson Garden Park start going through cases of sunscreen, bulk orders of Gatorade, and the occasional tube of poison ivy ointment.
While visitors at the park notice the lush hosta garden, the babbling stream, and the flowers getting ready to unfurl, the park staff is busy pulling weeds, spreading mulch and mowing grass.
The work is endless in the spring, summer and fall, as Bowling Green Parks and Recreation employees work to make Simpson Garden Park a respite from the outside world.
Przysiecki, the city’s natural resources manager, reported on the garden park to the parks and recreation board Tuesday evening. Simpson is 11.5 acres, with one acre being covered by buildings and the parking lot. The rest of the acreage is a mixture of mowable turf, colorful gardens, low grasses and pollinator friendly wildflowers.
The bulk of the grass is mowed weekly now. Przysiecki is very aware that earlier efforts to reduce costs and be more environmentally friendly by allowing more grassy areas to go unmowed was not popular with some park neighbors.
So to be friendly to neighbors and the environment, a compromise was found.
“We listened to that and tried to find a balance,” Przysiecki said.
To keep the park presentable to visitors, the staff and volunteers work long hours weeding, mulching and mowing. The work can be cathartic – when it’s done, he added.
“The work itself is grueling,” he said. “The results are what keep everybody coming back.”
Przysiecki explained that in the past week, 186 staff hours were spent gardening, mowing, trimming and maintaining equipment. He gave much credit for the popular garden park to horticulturist Kaleigh Obrock and lead gardener Adessa Miller.
Obrock has a bachelor’s degree in conservation biology, is a native plant and pollinator specialist, and is the point of contact for garden volunteers. She also conducts tours and educational talks at the park. Miller has a bachelor’s degree in environmental science with a focus on restoration. She is in charge of daily garden operations, plus trains and supervises part-time staff.
Obrock and Miller work together to develop design and work plans for the entire garden with occasional input from Przysiecki.
“They both actively engage visitors on a daily basis and act as my ambassadors for the park,” he added. “The rest of my staff put a lot of pride and effort into their work as well and I am grateful for the overwhelming positive response we have gotten from the public in the past few years.”
Simpson Garden Park also relies on two core groups of volunteers – Wood County Master Gardeners and Bowling Green State University student volunteers. Przysiecki offers the park positions to students majoring in environmental science.
“They have a vested interest in the environment,” he said.
The park will see some additions and changes this year, with three new memorial benches being installed and three new memorial trees being planted. Plantings have been added around the sundial sculpture erected last year in honor of Judy Knox.
The children’s garden area, next to the Simpson building, has not seen any major renovations since 2008. Parents and the public have asked for more grassy space where people can picnic and children can play.
The peace garden area and pond will see some changes, including efforts to control algae in the pond.
Also this year, a mapping and cataloging project will begin for the thousands of plants in the park, Przysiecki said. Currently there is no such record keeping. “Everything was handwritten notes and sketches,” he said.
BGSU students will map and record the plants, sculptures and memorials at the park – with the information then being made available to the public.
The parks and recreation staff will also work with a Simpson Garden Park Advisory Panel, collecting information from people who use the park on a regular basis. Przysiecki explained there are several different groups of people who use the park – those who walk their dogs, parents who bring their children, people who walk during the day and those who come after work.
Przysiecki also said there are plans to explore accessibility grants for the park.
“Nothing is ever static here,” he said. “Nothing stays the same. I hope that we’re meeting the needs of the community, and if we’re not, we need to know.”
