Union Springs Lions Club member Warren Albrecht, center, presents Union Springs Mayor Bud Shattuck, right, and聽Frontenac Park Commissioner Marion Case with a $12,000 donation at the Lions Club 60th anniversary celebration at聽Yawger Brook Campground.聽
Provided
Gary Nickerson from the Warren Salem Masonic Lodge, center,聽presents Union Springs Mayor Bud Shattuck, right, and Frontenac Park Commissioner Marion Case with a $10,000 donation at the Lions Club 60th anniversary celebration at聽Yawger Brook Campground.聽
The village of Union Springs dubbed 2017 The Year of Frontenac Park as community organizations continue to donate money to renovate an old and unsafe playground.聽
The Lions Club of Union Springs, one of the biggest supporters of the park project, decided to combine its 60th anniversary celebration, held June 13 at Yawger Brook Campground, with a check-presentation event for the village.聽
A $12,000 donation from the Lions Club, as well as $10,000 from the Warren Salem Masonic Temple Town Lodge, has contributed to the $67,000 raised so far. The village's goal is $80,000, said Frontenac Park Commissioner Marion Case.聽
"Little by little, the organizations have stepped up," Case said. "I was overwhelmed with the support. I've lived in this village my whole life and I've never seen an outpouring like this before. It's awesome."聽
Case said she began reaching out to the community to ask for donations so the village could afford the new playground equipment, and a committee of community members was later formed to help the village reach its fundraising goal.聽
One of those community members is Eric Rosenkrans, the president of the Union Springs Lions Club.聽
"We are fully committed to giving back to the community," Rosenkrans said. "That's how we represent our organization."聽
Case said the village has already raised enough money to replace the broken swing set, which was taken down last year because of safety concerns.聽
The new swings should be installed within the next six weeks, Case said. The new set will include a therapeutic swing, a special swing with a high-back seat and harness for children with disabilities.聽
"We're very excited about that," Case said of the therapeutic swing.聽
Case said the project is not expected to be completed until 2018. There are numerous safety codes and regulations the village must comply with, such as having 12 inches of cushioning on the surface of the playground so children do not hurt themselves when they fall. 聽
Donations from Cayuga Lake National Bank, Generation Bank, the town of Springport, Walter Conley American Legion Post 1107, Union Springs Chamber of Commerce, Legion鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion, and Twin Oaks Campground were also presented to the village at the Lions Club celebration.聽
Staff writer Natalie Brophy can be reached at (315)282-2239 or natalie.brophy@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter @brophy_natalie.
Union Springs Lions Club member Warren Albrecht, center, presents Union Springs Mayor Bud Shattuck, right, and聽Frontenac Park Commissioner Marion Case with a $12,000 donation at the Lions Club 60th anniversary celebration at聽Yawger Brook Campground.聽
Gary Nickerson from the Warren Salem Masonic Lodge, center,聽presents Union Springs Mayor Bud Shattuck, right, and Frontenac Park Commissioner Marion Case with a $10,000 donation at the Lions Club 60th anniversary celebration at聽Yawger Brook Campground.聽
