PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — For Saturday’s lunchtime rush Mary Sanford and her family kept the tickets moving and the food coming at their stand outside Bannon Park.
She credits her nephew for the fundraising idea. He brought his business, CJ’s Fish and Chicken, to the park and greeted guests as they dropped by.
“Our goal was to sell 200 tickets and we’re about there,” she said, around 11:30 that morning.
It was the first community-led fundraiser for Wings of Hope’s Our Peerless Park project, and as Sanford processed each ticket, she couldn’t help but smile. Each meal sold meant they were another step closer to building their dream park just around the corner from her house.
In Portsmouth’s north end, Bannon Park sits in a small green space next to a complex owned by the Portsmouth Metropolitan Housing Authority and just a block from Maxine Malone’s 14th St. Community Center.
“It’’s very important not only to me but to this community that we can have a decent park,” said Malone.
Time and time again, Malone said her Wings of Hope staff in the youth division of her center have heard from kids and families that the park is in need of an upgrade. The equipment is old and not ADA accessible, there’s limited space and, worst of all in Malone’s opinion, the park has a reputation for attracting criminal activity.
“This tree here, you see right here is called the giving tree,” she said, pointing to a tree next to the basketball court. “This giving tree is where most people will come and if you stand there you can get your drugs.”
Malone hopes the Our Peerless Park project and its $1 million vision for the park will change all that and reclaim the park for the kids and the community.
“We want to change the connotation of the giving tree,” she said. "We want to give back to our community. Hope, life.”
Their proposal includes building a new playground, expanding into the hillside and adding an amphitheater. It's an ambitious ask, especially as the city expressed concerns with managing its existing parks into the future.
“I know that the city does not have the funds,” Malone said. “We’re not here to demand, We’re not here to fight with the city, we’re here to come up with a solid solution for our community.”
Malone said Wings of Hope is looking at grants and county funding opportunities, but mostly they’re working on independent fundraising. Before Saturday, the group had already raised more than $10,000.
“We’re willing to do the work,” Sanford said. “Whatever it takes to get the job done.”
Wings of Hope isn’t the only group looking to take this approach to community building. In the hilltop neighborhood about a half mile away, another group is looking to make similar upgrades to Mound Park.
Kevin MacDonald, president of the Hilltop Initiative, grew up not too far from the park and has fond memories of the playground that used to stand on its south side. Years of weathering and disrepair led to the playset being condemned and eventually demolished last year.
“There was just no saving it,” he said. “So that's why we want to make something that's a little more accessible and something that can withstand the test of time.”
MacDonald expects the plan to cost between $350,000 and $500,000, most of which the Hilltop Initiative plans to independently fundraise.
“We don’t want to put any undue stress on the city, so we can handle this ourselves,” he said.
The group has already met their fundraising goal for the first step, an archeological survey to let them know where their playground can be placed on the historic land.
The city of Portsmouth is working to secure grant funding for another city park in Sciotoville through the Land Water Conservation Fund, but it can only apply for this funding once every two years. Mayor Sean Dunne said he’s willing to work with these projects next year to see if they can qualify for help through a Community Development Block Grant.
Despite the difficult fundraising work ahead, MacDonald believes these community investments are worthwhile for their neighborhood and the city as a whole.
“If we can make this a destination, people will come,” he said. “We want to make Portsmouth a beautiful, livable place.”