Springville Park becomes center of community renewal

Tim Thompson
·3 min read
Springville Park has a playground and walking path, and a covered bridge was constructed across the reclaimed stream to a basketball court and a shelter house.
Springville Park has a playground and walking path, and a covered bridge was constructed across the reclaimed stream to a basketball court and a shelter house.

“There is nothing so American as our parks,” Franklin D. Roosevelt said, and folks who call Springville, Indiana, home would agree.

There is nothing like a park to make a small town a wonderful place to live; where kids can learn to throw a ball with friends or learn how to balance themselves on a bike. There’s nothing like a park to encourage a full workout under the guise of play.

Our story begins with a park. Or at least a place that needed a park.

The small town of Springville had a gym built by the Work Progress Administration in 1936. It had several lovely historic churches and homes. It was populated with wonderful families. What it did not have was a park.

Instead, the town center was a mix of abandoned and neglected properties, the Spring Creek was littered with refuse from the giant trash bins overflowing with the community’s garbage.

Denny Godsey wanted to change that so he went to work casting his vision and enlisting the help and influence of others to form the Springville Heritage Community Association.

But vision is nothing without financial resources. With assistance from a local businessman, the association invested in a relationship with Lawrence County’s Community Foundation Partnership. (CFP)

In partnership with the CFP, abandoned and neglected properties were purchased and cleared and the work of building a park began. A playground and walking path were installed, and a covered bridge was constructed across the reclaimed stream to a basketball court and a shelter house.

Today Denny Godsey has nothing but praise for the Community Foundation.

“Without the assistance of the Community Foundation, Springville Park would not be the asset it is to our small town. They have been key partners to improving our community.”

At the end of the school year, the park was filled with second and third graders from the local school, running races, kicking soccer balls, shooting free throws, and impatiently waiting till after lunch to get their feet wet in the stream. Under a shady tree, Natasha Breedlove was resting on a blanket with her baby.

“It is so nice here. We come down anytime it’s pleasant and just hang out. I can walk the baby around the path as the kids play in the creek,” she said.

In spring, Springville Park was filled with second and third graders from the local school, running races, kicking soccer balls, shooting free throws, and impatiently waiting till after lunch to get their feet wet in the stream.
In spring, Springville Park was filled with second and third graders from the local school, running races, kicking soccer balls, shooting free throws, and impatiently waiting till after lunch to get their feet wet in the stream.

Lane Kimmel was coaching a kickball game.

“A day outdoors is worth five inside," Kimmel said. "Our family loves this park. This is where we came to teach our daughter to ride a bike. She has memories here that will last her entire life.”

In 2016, a fire destroyed the gym across the street from the park, but the community quickly responded with a consensus that rebuilding was the only option for this historic landmark. Once again, the Community Foundation proved its value with grants and distributions to assist the rebuilding and restoration process in excess of $76,280 and assisting in finding other grants outside their organization.

“The Community Foundation has been great at directing us to additional resources," Ken Thompson said. “And their support has emboldened others to partner with us as we transform our community.”

Our small towns can sometimes feel like afterthoughts when it comes to the challenges facing our region, but the Community Foundation recognizes their value and is eager to be a partner in their success. The Springville Heritage Fund was established by the Community Foundation Partnership, Inc. to benefit the Springville community. Since inception, distributions from the fund have granted more than $17,000 to projects in Springville and the principal of the fund continues to grow.

Gifts of any size are tax-deductible and can be made payable to Springville Heritage Fund, P.O. Box 1235, Bedford, IN 47421. Cash, stocks, or IRA Required Mandatory Distributions can be donated to the fund and people can name the fund as a beneficiary wills or estate plans. Contact Hope Flores at the Community Foundation Partnership for more information at 812-279-2215.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Springville Park becomes center of community renewal