Wednesday, July 22, 2015, at 9:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, 322 Lamar Avenue
First United Methodist Church is pleased to announce a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction of the new Downtown Community Park at 322 Lamar Avenue on Wednesday, July 22, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. Refreshment will be served and the public is invited to attend.
Leading the groundbreaking are Rev. Rob Spencer and Mark Gibbs; park committee members Ashley Lassiter, Earl Erickson; Mayor A.J. Hashmi representing the City; and Carl Cecil of Liberty National Bank representing the project’s major partners.
The park will be a welcoming, interactive family environment complete with a harmony musical playground, splash pad, walking path, and spaces for downtown and church parking. The fully landscaped area will be open to all and will lend itself to special events, parade viewing, and planned downtown activities. Park-goers will enjoy the new recreational facilities, set to open in March 2015 with a Grand Opening event.
“A community wide effort has brought this park to the point of construction, and I am very excited to see this important project moving forward,” said Ashley Lassiter. “Our vision to offer a place which brings together the many diverse residents of Paris is becoming a reality.” Rev. Spencer added, “We hope that it will be a park for all of God’s children where everyone is welcome!”
“The construction of this park could not have happened without a close collaboration with the City of Paris, the sustained support of elected officials, and our many partners who donated generously to the effort. The planning committee recognizes Cheri Bedford, Main Street Coordinator, for her leadership in securing private funding from partners including Rotary Club of Paris United, for the restroom that will be located on site,” said Earl Erickson. Other partners include Liberty National Bank, Hayter Engineering, Inc., First Federal Community Foundation, Keep Paris Beautiful, Guaranty Bank and Trust, Mrs. Judy Bawcum, the Paris News Carnage and Martha Wall Foundation, Lamar National Bank, St. Joseph’s Community Foundation, Dr. AJ Hashmi, Williard Jordan, and Dan Wardlow.
Donations are still being accepted and can be made to the Downtown Community Park Fund at First United Methodist Church. For more information, contact Janet Dodd at 903-785-4557 or jdodd@firstmethodistparis.org .