By Dan Spading
News Now Warsaw
MENTONE — Community leaders in Mentone and Kosciusko County gathered Thursday afternoon to celebrate major renovations to Mentzer Park.
Improvements include a new pavilion complete with restrooms, a resurfaced basketball court and a new walking path that connects other nearby amenities.
Total cost of the project was around $720,000, and the project relied on numerous funding sources, including money from former President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act from the pandemic and the K21 Health Foundation.
It was another project coordinated by Hoosiers Enduring Legacy Program, which has worked closely with the Indiana Office of Rural Affairs and led locally by Amy Roe, the county’s Community Coordinator, who has been the driving force behind completion of other recent community projects in Pierceton, Milford and Etna Green.
Such an undertaking was a huge one for the town of Mentone and included some delays and hiccups, but Mentone Clerk-Treasurer Amanda Yaprak was excited to see the results.
“We didn’t know what we were getting into, but it turned out better than what we could have imagined,” Yaprak said after the ceremony.
Mentone Chamber of Commerce President Rita Price Simpson said the project could not have happened without a broad network of support.
One of the things that came to mind to me immediately when I came down there and saw what was happening, I thought, ‘Do you know how many chicken barbecues we’d have to do to set aside that (amount) of money?’ More than we could have ever done in a lifetime,” Price Simplson said.
“That’s why the grants are so important to us and that’s why a small town can really make such a difference in having that kind of money. It does take a lot of extra work by the county people as well as the local people so I want to thank them publicly for all the hard work they’ve put in on this process,” she said.
Lindsey Hammond, OCRA northeast community liaison, said, Tte project Exemplifies the purpose of the Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program, as well as OCRA’s overall mission to help rural communities thrive and improve quality of life for their communities.”
Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting cutting Thursday afternoon to celebrate the renovations to Mentzer Park in Mentone.
The town is hosting a contest to name the new pavilion, and suggestions are being accepted at the town hall offices. The Town Council will choose the name within a few weeks.
Officials are already working on a second phase of improvements, which would include a golf disc course and pickleball courts.
