GREENVILLE – Greenville Safety Service Director Ryan Delk was in the city park reviewing the many projects still being worked on following the May 7 tornado that tore through the park, causing extensive damage.
“Ryan has been with the city pretty much since he has been out of school and with our street department for a long time,” said Greenville Mayor Jeff Whitaker. “He has been our Safety Service Director for five years and knows who to contact; he’s the MVP.”
“All of our department heads do a fantastic job, and Ryan works well with everyone,” Whitaker added. “The city is clicking along just fine, and I am blessed to be the mayor. I thank everybody for that opportunity.”
The most noticeable update is the completely new 34’ x 70’ enclosed Shelter 1 that was destroyed by the storm.
“This one looked the worst,” Delk said. “It had a big tree in it, so it was a total loss. We are having it built a little bit bigger because of how the slab was. It has a little different look, it is a little more modern as far as the two-tone siding. It will have garage doors instead of sliding barn doors.”
“We rent it for many family reunions, graduation parties, and much more,” he continued. “In the winter months, we store all the park benches and other things that are not needed. In the spring, it is cleaned out and rented again.”
The original Shelter 1 was a large open building inside that one-half could be rented, allowing two family reunions to co-occur inside. The new structure will have a dividing wall down the center, allowing for two parties simultaneously without interference, or will be able to be opened up for rental of the entire building.
“This is one of our larger indoor structures that may be rented,” Delk noted. “It is exciting to get it built.”
Delk took time to update the progress made in City Park.
“It has come a long way since May 7th,” he said. “All the trees have been removed, all the brush has been ground, and we still have a few trees that we don’t think will make it. We will have to take them down and do some trimming yet.”
“We’re working with Urban Forestry, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, with a tree replacement plan. We are getting close to having that all together, and then we will get that out to the public and start the replanting process.”
Other ongoing projects in the park include installing a new structure on Shelter 4, the Roundhouse, and a new gazebo.
“When you look at it now, most people wouldn’t know what was lost,” Delk stated. “We have made some big strides in the last month with Shelter 1. We are putting a new structure on the top of Shelter 4 because that roof was caved in, and we had a bunch of broken rafters.”
“The Roundhouse block has been redone, and as soon as Shelter 4 is completed, the contractor will move over and complete the Roundhouse. An all-new gazebo has been rebuilt, replacing the previous gazebo destroyed by the tornado. We built an identical gazebo.”
“The pool concession stand will be demolished; it is a total loss. We have some siding work to do on the Marling Band Shell and some of the smaller shelters where the roofs are missing. We are still working.”
“We still have a lot of cleanup to do, more along the creek. There are still a lot of trees down, but in five months, we have come a long way. A lot of hard work and dedication has gone into it. We have had a lot of help along the way, and it will be nice to get everything back to normal.”
Delk thanked the Street Department employees, the Greenville Fire Department, and the many volunteers who have stepped up to help with the cleanup and renovation project.
“The street department employees take care of all the city parks as well,” he said. “We have a dedicated Park Foreman that oversees the park. We use a lot of seasonal help to do mowing and the small items, but when things need to be done, the street crew comes in and does it.”
“They really busted their tail,” added Delk. “The Fire Department was a big help. They were out here for days helping us cut up trees, limbs, and brush. We had a lot of volunteers and a lot of donations. The community came together. It is nice to see people out there who still care and want to improve things. We’ll be back to normal before you know it.”
