Eric Bartkus Lowell City Council

Lowell is fortunate to have excellent parks and a great team of people that keep them maintained. My wife Beryl and I regularly walk in the fairgrounds park and have enjoyed crochet at Richards park. My daughters enjoyed Creekside park regularly when they were young, and I fully support the current plans to rebuild this gem into a modern and safe play area. Teaming with the Rotary Club for fund raising would be a win-win for all. From the early planning discussions, very little city money would be required.

I am very pleased with the city council’s decision to preserve 990 N. Washington as an addition to Scout Park. This is a unique area of Lowell that has excellent access to the Flat river. I enjoy kayaking and would love to see a kayak launch in this area similar to the one by the library. That would make for an easy downstream float for all.

I agree with Marty Chambers’ recommendation to add a parking lot and lighting in this area so that it is easy for people to park, including those with trailers. A simple gravel parking lot and some pole lighting shouldn’t be very expensive and would increase the appeal of this area. Our city manager Michael Burns is excellent at finding and securing state grants to help this project. I will help this project 100%.

The splash pad proposal at the park by Walgreens is also fantastic. This would be a huge benefit to families with young children and the cost sharing agreement with the township was very reasonable. My family traveled to Millenium Park for this activity often when my daughters were young. So much better to have our own facility down the street. The current watering restrictions might hamper full use currently, but I agree with Mayor DeVore that it would be better to have the facility at reduced usage than to keep thinking about one. Lowell is already a top location to call home, but a splash pad would be icing on the cake for families with children.

I will close by thanking our city employees who work hard at keeping our parks and facilities looking great. I live in the upstairs of a two story building downtown and see how our employees diligently care for the Riverside Drive parking lot each week. With the exception of Creekside Kingdom, I believe all of our parks are in the same great shape. Through lots of mowing, trimming, trash and snow removal, etc. they are a dedicated hard working team that should be thanked when you meet them.

Thanks for reading my first blog! Please send in your comments and questions. Eric B