The restoration of Peter Igo Park continues to stay on track according to members of the Peter Igo Park Initiative (PIPI). For the most part the weather has cooperated this spring and summer for workers at the recreation facility and multiple groups have been working together as the fitness park has progressed.
According to volunteer Craig Alvey, members of the Marshfield Tennis Club (MTC), backers of the project, have already begun making preliminary plans for tournaments.
Because the park will be fully compliant with the American Disabilities Act upon completion, the “MTC plans on including wheelchair tennis tournaments and the club will be reaching out to disabled veterans through the Veteran Administration's Outreach Program,” Alvey stated.
The MTC hopes to coordinate with other recreational groups and local businesses to expand disabled veterans activities possibly to include basketball, canoeing, kayaking and paddle boarding given the expanded resources the park offers, Alvey added.
Significant work to several areas of the park is expected during the fall, including surfacing of basketball courts, off-street recreation space, tennis courts and the parking area.
Marshfield Tennis Club president Bud Duksta said the facilities offer a pleasant walking environment and select spots for a picnic or quiet respite.
“This is an area for the neighborhood to enjoy,” he stated. “We want people to learn how nice it is, return often and tell others.”
During a recent meeting of the Community Preservation Committee, which provided partial funding to the area’s restoration, the installation of security cameras on the premises was reviewed.
According to Marshfield Police Lt. Paul Taber the area is one authorities encourage the public to use and the security measures will add to public safety and provide necessary backup to police in case of an incident.
PIPI representatives see the cameras as precautionary and preventative in nature and will encourage further neighborhood utilization of the property. Volunteers installed the first camera as a safety measure in 2011 prior to appropriation of any public funds when a new skating rink became part of the winter landscape at the park.
“We are completely behind the Peter Igo restoration project,” Taber said, indicating the area offered a pleasant and safe retreat for neighborhood children and families. “It is a beautiful area and we encourage the neighbors to use it and enjoy it as much as possible. We see it as a very desirable destination for pleasure and recreation in the community.”
