By Carol Mowdy Bond
Contributing Writer
The director of Piedmont Parks and Recreation, Paul Francel, is excited about a new chapter in the life of Piedmont Community Park, located at 130 Gooder Simpson Boulevard in Piedmont. Work has already begun on a new addition, the Piedmont Senior Playground. With plans for completion and a grand opening in Spring 2021, the project is progressing quickly.
The park’s upcoming senior area is a project of Piedmont Parks and Recreation and the Piedmont Public Library, made possible by federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered through the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. Francel said, “The new senior area will include horseshoes, shuffle-board, corn hull toss (or bean bag toss) and bocce ball.”
The senior area is an addition to the million-dollar-plus park that already exists, that over 1,500 people helped build. The land donors were Cindy and Phil Boevers, Rita and Richard Strubhar, Heather and Scott Jerald, and the Anderson Family of F&M Bank. A wall at the park’s entrance shows a list of names and businesses that were involved in making the park come to life. “It was labor intensive and a community build,” Francel said. “It was truly a community project. After it was all done, the community deeded it to the City of Piedmont.”
Francel said, “This place is packed in the spring and summer. And people who use the park aren’t just locals. They come from all over the place. The park includes a splash pad, a children’s playground, a certified monarch butterfly pollinator habitat, a fitness zone, and a large court that may be used for basketball, pickle ball, badminton, volleyball, tetherball, four square, and hopscotch. Plus, there’s an area for gaga ball.”
“The playground and splash pad opened in 2017,” said Francel. “The fitness zone opened in 2019. And there are restrooms in the park. We designed the park so there’s only one entrance, and one exit, to reduce the chance of children getting lost, to help parents. We put in trees just a few weeks ago.”
Francel also serves as 1st Vice President of the Piedmont Historical Society. And he loves how the park teaches history while children and adults enjoy the venue. The splash pad depicts six historic periods including the Native American people groups of the area, the cattle drives, the land runs and settlement of the area, the railroads, and the area fiddle master who made such a big impact on Vince Gill.
The children’s playground reflects a myriad of Piedmont and state historic symbols including the Old Store, the Mac T Restaurant, and so much more. Two Piedmont artists, Francis Williams and Nick Bayer, are responsible for the artwork that blankets the park. Colorful tiles, decorated by people who range in age from children to adults, line areas of the fencing.
Francel said, “We started by going into the Piedmont schools. We asked the teachers what they wanted in a park, and they asked their students. Leathers and Associates, which specializes in custom-designed outdoor play spaces, designed it. But they created it based on the information we gathered and what we wanted them to do. The entire venue is 85% American Disabilities Act compliant. If we couldn’t make something ADA compliant, then we added something else that was ADA compliant. Even the mulch is wheelchair accessible, and the zip line has an ADA compliant component. There are various stations in the park that are interactive and include the use of all senses.
There’s another park in Piedmont, and we’re going to redo that one also, and make it ADA compliant as well.”
The fitness zone includes exercise equipment found in a gym. The zone is also ADA compliant, and there are videos on some of the exercise equipment that show people how to use the equipment. Francel said, “The exercise equipment is totally weather resistant. Only a big tornado could take out the equipment. And the equipment functions according to the weight of the person using it.”
“While the City of Piedmont helped with the funding, the bulk of the funding came from individuals and corporations,” Francel said. “Terry and Tim Kudron did a lot of the earth and concrete work at no cost. The playground fencing is made of pickets. And the pickets are labeled with names of people who paid for them. As well, individuals donated specific structures in the playground. We got a large grant for $200,000 from the National Park Service, from the Land & Water Conservation Fund, which was administered by the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department through its division of Oklahoma State Parks. And we got another grant from the Piedmont Community Foundation for $50,000. OG&E put up every supporting post for free. And we got a Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Healthy Community Grant for $50,000.”
Piedmont has been a certified Healthy Oklahoma Community since 2015. No smoking, no tobacco products, and no vaping are allowed in the park.
