Construction needed

Keeping a 3-year-old entertained 365 days a year is a busy task. So today I suggested to Augie that we go to a new park. Augie loves parks, and there was one in the area I hadn't been to in a long time: River Park (the largest of our township's three parks).

I knew of the park from my pre-teen AYSO days, and it was nothing like I remembered it. And that's not a good thing. If I had to describe the park in one word I think I would use "dump," which is a shame because I know it used to be an attractive park. Besides looking and feeling run down, it was strewn with trash.

The first thing you notice when you pull into the "parking lot" is the unkempt parking lot. There is probably more weeds and grass growing in the dirt lot than there is dirt left to park on. I knew it was supposed to be a parking lot because there were curbs outlining the area. Otherwise I wouldn't have been so sure it was a parking lot.

The next thing I noticed was the wide open field being mowed by (presumably) a township employee. That's notable because, as I mentioned, the AYSO used to host soccer at the park every Saturday morning. The park has always had a large swath of open grass, but now the soccer goals I remember seem to be gone. I know there used to be two soccer fields, and maybe even a third. Now there only appears to be one -- and it's not either of the two I played on. It is farther away from the playground area than the other two used to be. What a shame.

As for the playground area, it was mostly run down. The best piece of equipment was this tall slide. The prototypical playground equipment -- a large colorful complex of slides, steering wheels, viewing windows, etc. -- was in desperate need of repair. One piece of it was missing, which seemed to be a safety hazard. Augie wasn't to into it, so we went to ride of the swings. I put him on my lap and tried to swing. I stopped after a couple of swings because the bracket holding the swing to the frame was moving with us (it wasn't supposed to be).

The basketball court wasn't in horrible shape. There wasn't too much grass growing through the asphalt, and three of the four hoops even had nets. The tennis courts next to it, however, were another story. As was the boat launch area down by the river. It badly needed a seal coating.

However

With all that said, there is good news. The township does seem to realize the park is in need of work. The township is working on a parks plan that could include many changes for River Park. A concept plan shows the soccer fields I remember could soon be returned to "natural landscape." I don't object to that because soccer probably isn't being played there like it used to be, and the "natural area" would probably serve as a good buffer between the park and the interstate.

The plan also calls for a dog park and extensive trails -- both would be attractive upgrades. It also suggests a fish hatchery, because who doesn't like more fish?

Long story short, Augie and I probably won't be returning to the park soon. But if it is improved, I would be happy to take another look.