Exciting growth ahead!
A few years ago, while serving on the Parks and Recreation Committee, our Director participated in the Village’s efforts to identify land in town for a potential park. Although that initial plan did not come to fruition, a new opportunity emerged last summer: the chance for our library to acquire an acre of land right next door to the library. With this acquisition, our vision expanded beyond what we imagined would just be an under-five playground next to our gazebo.
Earlier this year we enlisted the expertise of Chris Hice and Kimley-Horn to help us gather community input and shape our plans for a larger park. In March we hosted a meeting with our board, staff, and neighbors to hear their ideas, concerns, and aspirations. The enthusiasm grew during our Community Open House, where visitors voted on their preferred park layout and the features they most wanted to see.
Our vision for the park is to create an accessible and inclusive space, designed to support the physical, sensory, cognitive, and socio-emotional development of children in our community, while also providing a welcoming environment for families. The park will serve as an extension of the services, allowing us to take more of our programming outdoors. Proposed features include a quarter-mile walking path, swings, slides, playground equipment, family restrooms with a picnic pavilion, and a zero-depth sprinkle pad. We are also considering two pickleball courts and a nature-play area.
We invite you to visit the library to view the park layout on display. Don’t forget to drop a note in our comment box to share what excites you most about this project.
We are deeply grateful to the Village of Waynesville, Wayne Local Schools, Wayne Township, Warren County Parks, Waynesville Lions Club, Progressive Women, and our Friends of the Library organization for their invaluable support in making this vision a reality!