Grant provides recycling education, recreation

Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Parks Foundation of Hendricks County gave a $5,000 grant for "green" picnic tables at McCloud Nature Park.

NORTH SALEM -- "Going green" makes sense when purchasing items for a nature park. Thanks to the Parks Foundation of Hendricks County (PFOHC) and a Community Grant from The Hendricks County Solid Waste Management District (HCSWMD), buying "green" picnic tables for McCloud Nature Park was an easy choice.

Visitors to McCloud Nature Park in North Salem can now enjoy new tables that are not only comfortable but also made from materials that kept over 98,000 plastic water bottles out of landfills.

A $5,000 Community Grant from the HCSWMD was awarded to the parks foundation to assist in the purchase of 13-ADA accessible plastic picnic tables. The new picnic tables were produced from 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic and their use supports the District's mission statement:

"The Hendricks County Solid Waste Management District is dedicated to promoting recycling, waste reduction and responsible waste management within Hendricks County."

While the tables serve a very practical purpose for park visitors, they also have an educational component.

"We've installed a recycling 'fun fact' on each table that will inform users about the importance of recycling and reducing waste," said William Roche, Superintendent of HCPR. "The tables and the 'fun facts' will be incorporated into environmental education programs offered at McCloud. Many of the school groups that visit the park will be using these tables and we wanted to display the information where it can be easily used to jump start conversations about recycling and the reduction of waste."

The Parks Foundation of Hendricks County is a not-for-profit organization that pursues grants and seeks donations to assist the HCPR fund projects that will enhance the community and promote the physical and spiritual well being of Hendricks County residents. Dennis Gibbs serves as the foundation president and reiterated the foundation's appreciation to the HCSWMD for the community grant adding.

"McCloud is a haven for the residents of Hendricks County and its popularity is growing," Gibbs said. "Thousands of visitors make their way to McCloud each year, the picnic tables will get a lot of use. The foundation is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Hendricks County Solid Waste Management District in acquiring these new resources for the park."

Lenn Detwiler, executive director of the Hendricks County Solid Waste Management District, described that organization's enthusiasm for the project.

"The Solid Waste District is excited about this partnership with the Parks Foundation," Detwiler said. "McCloud Nature Park is a wonderful reminder to everyone how beautiful our natural resources are and how important it is to protect our environment. These picnic tables are a great way for visitors to see, touch and feel what happens when they recycle. Showing people the final result of the recycling process is critical. This project does that very well."

Additional information about The Parks Foundation of Hendricks County their mission and events available at www.pfohc.com.

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