Many Hands Pitch In For Madison Park

The Friends of Madison Park (FOMP) held its third clean up since spring last Saturday morning. Headed up by Tessa Smith, the following friends gave their morning to clean up litter and debris while soaking up the warm October sunshine: Michael Fleenor, Councilwoman Mary Louise Madigan, Tessa, Courtney, Parker, and Bella Smith, Frank and Marissa Burek, Margaret Cooney and Melissa Page. Help To Others (H20), and Judy Grzyboski, manager of the Madison Branch Library and FOMP member, have also contributed to keeping the park clean this summer. Also, many thanks go out to local groups Keep Lakewood Beautiful, Lakewood Early Childhood PTA, Madison Library, and Lakewood Earth and Food (LEAF) for adding their own touch of beauty to the park through adopt-a-spot, flower beds, and the community garden.

FOMP would like to recognize Mayor Fitzgerald and the City of Lakewood for the ongoing support and partnership they are providing. Having the mayor’s office represented at the FOMP meetings is reflected in the progress being made. Special mention must be made to the Parks department for all the physical work they have put in towards the Madison Park grounds this summer. Even tasks such as cleaning the debris and trimming trees along the park borders were tackled. And certainly noticed, was that litter was not as prevalent this year. A huge thank you goes out to Dru Siley, member of FOMP and its design subcommittee, and new assistant planning director for the city, for his landscape architectural skills. Thanks to Tessa Smith for setting up the information booth at Lakewood Community Festival where the first fundraiser was held. Thanks goes to Cindy Ford who gave time with her marketing skills to help establish a mission statement and marketing materials that will help with very important efforts going forward. And of course, many thanks to Councilwoman Mary Louise Madigan for seeing to it that FOMP get the resources and funding needed to get this group started.

The new playground being installed behind the Madison Library is nearly complete. Another current topic for this group is the FOMP subcommittee that has been formed focusing on the future design of the 11 acre park. It includes everything they hope for the park short term and long term. Some of the goals for the next two years will be to install walking paths all throughout the park, benches, planting trees, and getting a steady amount of programs run from spring to fall. All the while, with the continued partnership of Lakewood residents, the city administration, and the police they will serve as stewards to ensure that the park is safe, clean, and maintained.

There are currently about sixty community participants who have attended meetings or are on FOMP’s contact list. FOMP will be reaching out to the Lakewood community all during the park’s makeover process. There is great need for fundraising ideas and efforts from within the community and from outside grant sources. If you would like to be included on the contact list to stay informed, would like to attend a meeting, or just have an idea to share please contact Michael Fleenor at 216-773-4462. You are also invited to attend its next meeting Wednesday, October 22, 6:30 p.m. at Mahall’s Lanes (13200 Madison Ave.) across from Madison Park.
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Volume 4, Issue 21, Posted 2:28 PM, 10.08.2008