ADNA — When Herb Creed learned last summer how the grass at Back Memorial Park in Adna was cared for, he thought of a better way.
"I said, 'We need an industrial mower,' " recalled Creed, a 71-year-old retired Pe Ell High School teacher.
In the past, Adna Lions Club volunteers brought their own push lawn mowers to the park — which is where the baseball fields in town are located — and cut the grass.
In 1978, the Back family in Adna donated the park to Lewis County so it could be used as a community outdoor gathering place.
About four years ago, the Adna Lions Club took over maintenance of the park, which has mostly meant the mowing of the five acres. A large mower would have helped, but the club didn't have the $8,000 necessary to buy a new rig, said Creed, who was the coordinator of the project.
So Creed tried a different tactic. He contacted Rex Derr, the Washington state park superintendent, and asked if the state had an old mower that could be used at the park.
Derr liked the idea after a visit to the park, so he arranged for the state to give an old mower to the county to let the Lions Club use to mow the park. It was a Gravelly brand mower with a 60-inch cut, and it sliced the mowing time down dramatically, according to Creed.
"We wound up with a mower that does the job in one-quarter the time," Creed said.
The mower wasn't yet ready to go, though, and the club needed to do some work. Gordon Young, another Lions Club member, took the mower down to his shop, where it received new tires, structure welding and new mower blades.
So now, every Wednesday, Keith Mohoric of the Lions Club goes to the park, hops on the mower and cuts the grass.
In addition to the work on the park, Creed said, club members could use the mower to help maintain a parking area for a proposed Washington State Rails-to-Trails project located adjacent to the park.
"It shows some cooperation with a state agency, a county agency and the Lions Club," Creed said.
Creed, a charter member of the club, said he's happy with the way the project is turning out, and he's glad the park is the benefactor.
"It's a community service, and I think it just makes a person feel a little better in doing something for the community," Creed said.
Erik Olson covers county government and environmental affairs for The Chronicle. He may be reached at 807-8239, or by e-mail at eolson@chronline.com.
Biography
name: Herb Creed
age: 71
Previous occupations of interest: Pe Ell High School business teacher for 25 years
residence: Adna
how long there: 36 years
family: Married to wife Jacqueline; daughter Laurie, late son Geoffrey
favorites
food: Mexican
music: Old country
book: Anything by John Grisham
TV program: "Law and Order"
vacation spot: Palm Springs, Calif.
hobbies: Riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle, bicycling, hiking, golf
