The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
CONSTRUCT, THEN PLAY
Falbo Park has move-in day for new equipment
It was move-in day for new playground equipment that will revamp Lorain’s Falbo Park.
On Aug. 3, at least 88 volunteers came out to build some of the new gear that will bring new life to the green space at 925 Meister Road.
The 3.84-acre Falbo Park sits just south of the Meister Road intersection with Chris Avenue. The land was donated to the city 66 years ago when Sam Falbo was developing a neighborhood on Lorain’s west side, said his grandson, John Falbo Jr., vice president of Terminal ReadyMix, 524 Colorado Ave.
Working in groups, the volunteers used wrenches, hammers, drills, rivets and more to assemble the pieces. The volunteers were scheduled in shifts over eight hours, but by early afternoon, the field was starting to look like an inviting spot for a family afternoon outside.
“It was like Christmas, to open up all the boxes of the equipment and to see what it was going to start to look like.” — John Falbo Jr., vice president of Terminal Ready-Mix
“When we were first unboxing everything and starting to lay the pieces out, you could really start to see the colors of the equipment and the scale of how big some of the pieces were,” Falbo said. “It was like Christmas, to open up all the boxes of the equipment and to see what it was going to start to look like.”
The improvements are a great project on multiple levels, said Lorain SafetyService Director Dan Given.
Firstly, it upgrades a park that hasn’t been touched for decades, he said.
The playground is meant to be accessible and inclusive, meaning the equipment can be used by children and families with special needs. It’s an underserved population, Given said.
“The thrilling part of this project is who you’re servicing here,” he said. “It’s that group, families.”
The number of volunteers is another benefit.
Philanthropic groups consider grants for parks and want to see community involvement, said city
Public Property Manager Lori Garcia. Having dozens of volunteers can help the city seek grant money in the future, she said.
Falbo said the project grew to be larger than he expected.
Once the project became known, Lorain Rotary, the Lorain Lions Club, the Rising Titans early education program and Corrigan Krause Accountants all donated money, equipment or labor to the park. Lorain County Public Health also was a partner and the city scored an AARP grant for equipment.
Although the volunteers helped the park take a huge
step forward, the green space remains closed for now.
The city of Lorain Public Property Department removed some of the movable parts, such as swings, so no one begins using them before they are ready.
Terminal Ready-Mix crews will revisit the park soon to pour concrete that will anchor the new pieces into the ground. After that, a landing surface needs to be installed under the equipment, Falbo said.
Eventually there will be sidewalks, a parking lot and water station. Those amenities will make it easier for visitors from other parts of Lorain to come to the park, Falbo said.
Garcia said her favorite piece probably would be the merry-go-round or teeter-totter.
Falbo picked the merrygo-round because as a boy, he used to ride the wooden spinner at South Lakeview Park.
“It squealed whenever you spun around on it, and so for these kids to have top-notch, state-of the art equipment, it’s really something special for the community to have all of this brand new equipment,” he said.