Third Street Park: Getting New Life

Loretta George

2 years ago

Third Street Park on Fort Scott’s east side is seeing some improvements thanks to a few local organizations.

Kiwanian Ralph Reed prepares to put another sheet of siding in place on the bathrooms. Submitted photo.

The project was taken on by Fort Scott Kiwanis and started a few weeks ago, President John Crain said.

“We divided up into groups of 3-4 people to work on a project,” Crain said. “They could get together whenever they could.”

Bathrooms were painted inside and out, and siding replaced.

“We have all the lights fixed in the bathrooms, the city will do work after that,” he said. Sinks are to be put in the bathrooms, which have just had toilets in the past.

Kiwanians John Crain and Josh Jones paint the bathroom at Third Street Park. Submitted photo.

The Third Street Park bathroom before improvements. Submitted photo.

On the basketball court the backboard was repainted, the goal and net replaced and the lane repainted.

The basketball court before the improvements. Submitted photo.

The basketball court after the improvements. Submitted photo.

The park’s swing set was repainted, the jungle gym was power washed and sealed.

Kiwanian Dave Bruner paints the swing set. Submitted photo.

The swing set before the repainting. Submitted photo.

The swing set after the improvements. Submitted photo.

Kiwanian Brad Blubaugh paints the swing set. Submitted photo.

The jungle gym before improvements. Submitted photo.

The jungle gym after improvements. Submitted photo.

The park benches and picnic tables were power washed and the pavilion repainted.

Kiwanian Bob Eckles prepares to paint a pavilion column. Submitted photo.

The park pavilion after. Submitted photo.

Kiwanian Mark McCoy painting a pavilion column. Submitted photo.

Fort Scott Kiwanis Club furnished the man-power, and a few philanthropy groups funded the materials.

“Funding for the 3^rd Street Park improvements and Placemaking Project is being provided by The Patterson Family Foundation and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas as a part of The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team’s Pathways to a Healthy Kansas grant,” according to a HBCAT press release.

The Kiwanis men are not finished yet.

“We still have to get the electric meter pulled away from the bathrooms south wall to install it’s siding, and paint it,” John Crain, president of Kiwanis said. “We need to do some touch up painting on the bathrooms, finish painting the pavilion and cut down and remove a dead tree and low hanging branches over some of the buildings.”