Editor
Over the past year, the Goshen Park Board Commissioners and the Friends of the Goshen Park District have been working hard to make improvements to the Kathryn Stagge-Marr Park.
The park, located at 6662 Goshen Road, was donated to Goshen in 2008 after Kathryn Marr, a resident and teacher in Goshen, died.
In July 2015, the park commissioners asked the trustees to put a .5 mill levy on the ballot, but the trustees weren’t ready to. The levy would have funded a bathroom facility that the state requires the park to have, Tuerck said.
Since the trustees voted no on the levy, the Friends of Goshen Park District reinvented and became more active because a group of residents wanted the park to be successful.
“The Friends of Goshen Park District are people that come together in a common interest that probably wouldn’t cross paths in any other manner but in the past year we’ve all become so close and worked so well together for the common goal of seeing a park succeed,” Tuerck said.
She added, “A park is really an anchor in your community. It raises home values, it gives kids a safe place to go enjoy, it teaches kids about nature and even sharing…Every successful community you see has a strong park district.”
The Friends are aiming to raise $65,000 to build a restrooms. They have raised almost $25,000 so far, which will fund “pit pot” style restrooms that will be a permanent “glorified outhouse,” Tuerck said.
The “pit pot” style is a short term goal to make the park compliant with state requirements, which must be done in less than a year. The Friends’ long term goal is to have a flushable, modern restroom facility.
The Friends recently put on a Memorial Day 5K, which was their big fundraiser of the year. In the future, they plan to combine the 5K and the Party in the Park, a summer kick-off party in June.
They also recently did a fundraiser called Help Our Heroes Bring Home the Bacon in which Goshen Police Chief Bob Rose, Goshen Assistant Fire Chief Paul Hasenmeier and Goshen Middle School Principal Mark Edwards competed to see who could get the most community support as they prepared for the Flying Pig Marathon.
Most of the other money the Friends of the Goshen Park District raise is from concessions, but they usually make $300-500 from that. There is also a GoFundMe page, said Shannon Hill, a member of Friends.
“There’s no money to run it. It’s all volunteers and donations,” Hill said.
Everything that the Friends do in the park is funded by donations. Those interested in donating can specify what they want their donated money to be used for, Tuerck said.
“Donors really have a voice as far as where they want their money to go,” Tuerck said.
People can also purchase a brick around the flagpole and have it personalized. Many in the area have been generous and have asked for memorials to be sent to the park district in lieu of flowers when a relative dies, Tuerck said.
“We have some great donators,” Hill said.
Not only did Friends of the Goshen Park District change in 2015, but the Park Board Commissioners are different as well. The current commissioners are Margie Hadley, George Jackson, Sherrie Koepke and Dave Maphet, in addition to a vacant seat left after Erwin Walker’s death.
“There’s new commissioners, a new vision, a new fire ignited,” Tuerck said.
The commissioners make the major park decisions, such as what to spend money on and what events to hold, and the Friends work to raise money, run the events and help with the upkeep, Hill explained.
The Friends of the Goshen Park District also have a lot of long term goals. They are working with the planner who worked on Gauche Park in Owensville to make plans for the 82 acre park.
“We’re working with him kind of behind the scenes to see what he thinks we can do on our end to try to make our park grow,” Tuerck.
Kathryn Stagge-Marr Park is well known for its 18-hole disc golf course, the Osage Grove Disc Golf Course, which volunteers with The Nati Disc Golf and Greater Cincinnati Flying Disc Association maintain.
“They really were instrumental in putting that in and making it one of the premier ones in the area. Apparently people come from all over the tri-state area to play that specific course,” Tuerck said.
The park also has walking trails, a creek, horse trails, a fishing pond and a shelter available for rent. The third grade students at Marr/Cook Elementary fundraised enough money to build a outdoor classroom.
In addition, the Friends plan to build a natural playscape, a playground made with natural objects, such as tree stumps and rocks, Tuerck said.
On the Goshen Park District’s website, there is a calendar of events that includes regular events, meetings and fundraisers.
One upcoming event is Music in the Park on July 30, which will include bands, vendors, a cornhole tournament, kids games, disc golf and more. For more information, check the Friends of Goshen Park District’s Facebook page.
Those wishing to help the park can spread the word, attend events and fundraisers or donate to the park using the GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/goshenparkdistrict. Those interested in joining the Friends of the Goshen Park District can message the group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/friendsofgpd/ or email the group at friendsofgpd@gmail.com.