Signs and Benches are seen Friday afternoon at Central Park in Centralia.
Travis Pollanz, owner of Bead Opus, stands in the mezo of Central Park Friday afternoon in downtown Centralia.
Central park is seen Friday afternoon in downtown Centralia.
Travis Pollanz, owner of Bead Opus, talks about Central Park Friday afternoon in downtown Centralia.
Tucked in a narrow corridor between two buildings, Central Park is an easily-overlooked part of Centralia’s park system.
But the tree-and-bench-lined park is a sliver of peace downtown, says Bead Opus owner Travis Pollanz, and it’s worthy of investment. Bead Opus shares the 200 block of N. Tower St. with the park, and Pollanz recruited Jonah Alexander — who also owns a building on the block — to help with his efforts.
The two put in $750 each, funds that will bolster the $1,200 that the Centralia Downtown Association has budgeted to care for the park.
“To me, this is the crown jewel of downtown,” Pollanz said, noting that he often sees people taking wedding photos in the sylvan space.
With the extra funding, Pollanz and Alexander are hoping to bring in more plants, sculptural stones and hearty grasses. New mulch will improve the soil. A landscaper was scheduled to start yesterday.
Centralia Downtown Association Board President Jan Nontell said the group is planning to add a sculpture from Rochester artist Brad Tarbet and install more lighting.
“It’s a little park, but it’s a wonderful little park,” Nontell said. “It’s nice now, but once we get more plants in there I think it will be more lush.”
Central Park is owned by the City of Centralia, but responsibility for its upkeep has fallen to the CDA, leading to some frustration.
“This isn’t a community garden. It’s a city park,” Pollanz said, lamenting that citizens are taking responsibility for it. The $1,200 that CDA has for upkeep is inadequate, he said. “I can’t keep up my own yard with $1,200 a year.”
Nontell acknowledged the tension, but said everyone is making the best of the situation.
“There has been frustration from some people that the city does not take care of the city park,” she said. “The merchants have decided if that’s not going to happen, we’ll take it over and we’ll make it beautiful.”
The CDA took responsibility for the park in 2016, according to Centralia Community Development Director Emil Pierson, a partnership that allowed the group the freedom to add decorative touches beyond standard city maintenance.
“If they don't want to care of it, they [can] just tell us, and we'll take care of it just like we take care of everything else,” Pierson said. “If they want it special, magical, with lights, we don't do that.”
Pierson said city parks maintenance is focused on being cost-effective and keeping areas clean and vandalism-free.
Pollanz said he wanted to focus on the positive aspects of the donation, instead of disputing who should have oversight of the park.
“Rather than dwell in the what-ifs, rather than dwell in arguments about what’s right or where the money’s going, I just decided I’m going to rise above all of this,” he said. “We’re going to get it done.”
Central Park will play host to a children’s market during Antique Fest in July, and Pollanz and Nontell are hopeful the efforts to work on the park will lead to more events being held there.
