Riverfront Park fundraising helps replace slides

TILTON — A recent $15,000 grant from Franklin Savings Bank allowed the Tilton Parks Commission to purchase a new slide set as part of multi-phase replacement of playground equipment at Riverfront Park. Since dedication of the new equipment on Sept. 12, the commissioners have started a second phase of fundraising to support installing a new swing set.

Commissioner Robert Hardy said the group had been discussing replacing the park’s 20-year-old playground equipment for about three years.

“We only had three swings and a slide, and the slide had got a crack about three years ago,” Hardy said. The commissioners recognized the importance of installing a modern, safe, and inclusive recreational space for local families. “It lasted 20 some odd years, and it really wasn’t handicapped-accessible or ADA accessible,” he said of the old playground equipment.

Pettinelli & Associates, of Williston, Vermont, the local representative for Miracle Recreation, a builder of playground equipment since 1927, installed the original set. When the commissioners became concerned about the safety of the old slide, they sought an estimate from the company for replacing the equipment, Hardy said.

“So, he met with us and gave us a couple options, And we looked at it and said, ‘OK, there’s no way we’re gonna fund this all in one lump sum and everything,' and we said we’ll have to do it in phases.”

Current standards for playground equipment call for a safety zone around it, so they had to build out the footprint of the slide, leaving no room for the swings, which would have required more money, anyway. Purchase of new swings was moved to a second phase.

Using town trust funds to cover the cost of upgrading the equipment would have left no money for anything else. Board member Kathi Mitchell spearheaded the fund drive, successfully writing a grant request for support from Franklin Savings Bank.

“They actually increased what they had said in the application,” Hardy noted. “They had told us we could get $10,000, and they actually gave us $15,000, and we just heard that Nucar is going to give us $1,000 towards it, so we’re starting to get there.”

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the slides, Brian Bozak, Franklin Savings Bank’s president and chief executive officer, said, “We are happy to support the Tilton Parks Commission’s efforts to revitalize Riverfront Park with a new playground that will serve residents for generations to come. This project reflects the spirit of community that FSB is all about.”

Mitchell said they have sent 30 letters to local businesses in a new appeal, and will be following up on their fundraising efforts for the second phase of the project.

Park history

The park property, located near the town center at 336 W. Main St., was developed as a textile mill in 1868, and later was a shoe factory. Those operations polluted the ground, leading to a brownfields reclamation effort after the town acquired the property through tax deed in 1995. After the cleanup, the town started construction of Riverfront Park in fall 2005.

Since its completion, Riverfront Park has served as a community gathering place, including during fireworks shows and other town events. The Tilton Police Department sponsors movies in the park from May through September, and the Grace Bible Fellowship operates a day camp for a week during the summer.

Residents and businesses in Tilton and surrounding communities can book the park for events, such as birthday parties and other events.

The parks commission itself sponsors a scarecrow contest in October, with prizes for individuals and businesses. They encourage people to take photographs of their displays, and find the application at facebook.com/tiltonparks for a chance to win.

The commission also sponsors an Earth Day turtle scavenger hunt in the spring, distributing rubber turtles for children to find, similar to an Easter egg hunt.

“We used to do an Easter egg hunt the Sunday after Easter — because everybody’s away at Easter — and that got to be cumbersome for us, stuffing the eggs and everything,” Hardy said. Commissioner Bill Lawrence came up with the idea, "he had a bunch of these rubber turtles from the old Main Street days — so we scatter them.”

Other activities the commission sponsors include wildlife encounter shows in June and September, a magician show in August, and its biggest event of the year, the Tilton Christmas parade, the first Saturday in December, ending at Riverside Park. There, children get to meet and have their pictures taken with Santa Claus, while the park commission provides stuffed animals, and the Raven Gael Blaisdell Foundation of Hall Memorial Library provides each child with a book. The evening ends with a fireworks display.

Hardy is optimistic about the next phase of fundraising.

“Depending on how much money we can raise and everything, our third phase that we have talked about was a center handicap trail, with some exercise stations for adults or senior citizens.

"It all depends on what we can raise for support.”