The Sports Association of Oakland (SAO) has agreed to become the fundraising arm for Great Oak Park. A resolution formalizing this agreement between the town and the SAO was made on the February 26th Mayor and Council meeting.
Great Oak Park will hopefully open this spring with walking trails and limited parking for visitors. Eagle Scout projects will help in creating the trails. Eric Kozak’s project will include opening and widening existing trails, including the path along the river, so they are safe for passage. Will Fern will be cleaning out the invasive species of plants and vines which are choking the trees along the Doty Road area. He will also be cutting wires and stakes that are growing into trees that were originally put in to help newly planted trees grow and are now hindering their health. Will is also going to be placing a steel sign to welcome park goers in this area. Other preliminary plans include another Great Oak Park Sign which will be placed behind Portobello and 30 birdhouses have been anonymously doanted and will be placed throughout the park and placed high in the trees. Also, two of the SAO spring classes will be creating about 20 birdhouses decorated by the students. These will be placed throughout the park as well, but lower and for an ongoing public art show. These birdhouses were donated by the Schwertfeger family in memory of Jill Schwertfeger, who passed away in 2012. One of her hobbies was decorating birdhouses and the SAO hopes to have one of her birdhouses in the show as well. In the next 5 years the plans for the park, include a great lawn and band shell, skate park, dog park and BMX bike trail. These are all subject to DEP approval.
We contacted SAO Chair Jim Folkerts about the SAO’s involvement:
“The Sports Association of Oakland is a 501(c)(3) volunteer organization that supports Oakland Recreation sports programs and recreational activities. It provides “fundraising services” to groups that administer these programs and activities as well. The SAO allows these groups to securely deposit donations and render payments to operate their programs and events. As a 501(c)(3), the SAO has the ability to carry out certain actions that the town is not legally allowed to, such as fundraising, accepting multiple forms of donations (such as cash or PayPal), and sponsorships through advertising.”
Folkerts added, “It also raises funds to support its mission. The SAO is now in its 54th year of existence and actually began as the precursor to the Oakland Recreation program as it exists today. Funds the SAO has raised and donated have paid for sports equipment, the recreation complex play areas, sprinklers, various scholarships, basketball tournaments and much, much more. It is also the custodian of a portion of the funds for the planned walking path that will circumvent the rec fields, The SAO raised these funds by chairing and running the Oakland Town Carnival in 2012.”
“The SAO wholeheartedly embraced the idea of being the fundraising arm for Great Oak Park as it aligns with the SAO’s mission statement and general overall purpose. The park project has galvanized support from many different groups interested in having it succeed. For instance, a couple of Eagle Scout projects are planned to blaze trails on the property and the SAO can accept donations on their behalf. The SAO looks forward to collaborating with the Mayor and Council to make this a reality for all citizens of the borough to enjoy” Folkerts said.