Dedication Planned for Saturday, Sept. 10

(WAUPACA, WI) Aug. 8, 2016 — The City of Waupaca will dedicate a new Eco Park on Saturday, September 10 from 10:30-1:30. The park is the result of collaborative efforts from a wide range of community partners and is a joint project between the City of Waupaca and CAP Services.

The Eco Park offers the region a unique experience in environmental sustainability education and recreation. It features an education center, a natural playground and a children’s discovery center. The park will also be a resource for district schools as an outdoor classroom for science and environmental study.

Community volunteers and Fresh Start crews, who also build homes in the Eastgate Estates subdivision, built most of the park’s amenities including its open-air shelter, environmental education center, amphitheater, and natural children’s playground. The park is located near the Eastgate Estates subdivision which features homes built for low to moderate income families in the region. This initiative is spearheaded by CAP Services.

“We look forward to sharing this new and unique resource with the Waupaca community and beyond,” said Clif Morton, CAP’s Fresh Start Program coordinator. “Not only is it a great neighborhood park, it’s a chance for people to learn about environmental sustainability issues first hand.” 

Waupaca Foundry donated an estimated 30,000 cubic yards of spent foundry sand fill for development of both the Eco Park and Eastgate Estates subdivision. The foundry also donated an interactive display in the education center that shows visitors how recycled metal and raw materials become iron castings. Visitors will be able to drop metal into a mini-cupola, watch as it comes out as molten metal and enter a molding machine producing a finished object.

“We have been recycling metal and spent foundry sand for decades,” said Joey Leonard, executive vice president for Waupaca Foundry. “The Eastgate Estates and Eco Park, Swan Park, Highway 10, and many more projects all benefited from thousands of tons of foundry sand, keeping it out of landfills and improving the community. Our company is committed to building strong communities where we operate through community projects like this.”

No public funds were used to create the Eco Park and CAP Services secured funding and in-kind donations totaling more than $200,000. Other community partners contributing to the project include Faulks Brothers Construction, Torborgs Lumber, CellCom, North Wind Renewable Energy, Beneficial Reuse Management, the Community Foundation of the Fox Valley Region, and the Waupaca Area Community Foundation.

The dedication events are as follows:
• 10:30 AM – Environmental science activities for kids of all ages
• 10:30 AM – Tours of the park lead by Fresh Start participants
• 11:00 AM – Concessions
• 12:00 PM – PARK DEDICATION CEREMONY by Project Partners with a special dedication of the Natural Amphitheater to Connie Abert
• 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM – Tours, Environmental Education Activities, concessions & drawings for environmental friendly prizes

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