The necessity of community parks

When I was a tyke growing up with my brother Ed and sisters Betty and Anita on Roosevelt Drive, Grand Coulee didn’t have a community park. There was an empty field across the road from our house that we and the other neighborhood kids would play in. Although it was an empty field, it has its drawbacks. It was full of weeds, rocks, a clump of sagebrush here and there, and now and then a rattlesnake. I think the Pachosa family owned the field. Later, when a row of houses was built in the field, there was still room enough for us to play. Bob Pachosa, years later, built Rapid Robert’s drive-in there.

Anyway, somewhere along the line, the town fathers decided that we needed a city park and one was established just west of that empty field, right behind the houses where Kenny Hoke and Mike Moran lived. It was great. It had a nice lawn, picnic benches, water, restrooms, swings, slide, merry-go-round, shade trees, everything we needed. The elderly gentleman that was hired to maintain the park (we didn’t know his name, we just called him “The Park Man”) would sometimes pay us kids 25 cents a day to help him water and mow the lawn, pull weeds and pick up the trash.

Some of my fondest memories of growing up on Roosevelt Drive involve my friends Jimmy Glick, Robert and Richard Boll, Roger Wert, Donny Whaley, Donny Bullock, Kenny Hoke, Mike Moran, and several others whose names I can’t recall because they weren’t around long enough, getting together and playing in the park. We’d have football and baseball games put together by choosing sides. The park was also a meeting place. We’d tell each other, “Let’s meet here tonight after supper,” or, “I’ll see you here tomorrow morning after breakfast.”

I guess what I’m trying to say is that community parks are an essential component in growing up, forming life-time bonds, learning teamwork, and learning how to peacefully settle childhood disagreements. Parks are needed not only for kids, but for adults to congregate, have a neighborhood barbecue, picnic, any sort of friendly celebration.

I recently read in The Star newspaper that the town of Electric City is considering abandoning the plan to build a park. I think the town should go ahead with the construction of the park. The city council should consider all the benefits such a place brings to the community. A park can be the defining asset of a town (“I’ll meet you at the park by the swings”).

After all, it’s not all about money.

Harvey Haven

Amboy, Washington