Alexander Park, an old Chehalis community gathering place, may be getting a facelift in a couple months, courtesy of the Chehalis Foundation.
The park, which is just across the Chehalis River bridge on state Route 6 at the end of Donahue Road on the left, has been closed for more than 10 years.
According to the Chehalis Foundation, the family of John Alexander, of the Security State Bank Alexanders, donated the land to the city in the 1920s.
"The (Alexander) home is situated there right before you turn into Alexander Park," said foundation member Connie Small.
The Chehalis Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization formed to work on projects for the city of Chehalis which are outside the city budget. Work is paid for with donated money.
Exploring the possibility of reopening Alexander Park is one of the foundation's first projects as an IRS certified nonprofit organization.
Recently, the Chehalis Foundation sent out a survey to some 600 homes, 30 percent of which were returned indicating the projects Chehalis citizens would like the foundation to complete. These projects included items such as keeping the swimming pool in Chehalis open and developing youth programs.
"We're looking at all of (the projects)," said Small. "Right now we're focusing on Alexander Park to see if there is a community interest. Then we plan on looking at the survey."
The park, at the banks of the Chehalis River, is an open space of grass backed by a grove of trees and brush lining the river. There is an enclosed outbuilding and a covered picnic area. Barricaded with a chain link fence, the overgrown park area is closed off from the public by yellow padlocked gates.
"The structures will have to be taken care of, the restrooms and different things like that. It was overgrown with brush, bees' nests all over and different things like that. The city has just mowed it and got it cleaned up a little bit so we can see what we're looking at," Small said.
"It hasn't been used in more than 10 years," she said. "We're using the next two months to get a feel of how much it's going to cost, getting bids and things like that."
Alexander Park was maintained by the city of Chehalis until the early 1980s. After that, the care of the park was handed over to local Boy Scouts.
According to Chehalis Foundation President Judy DeVaul, the park used to be the gathering place for a local strawberry festival.
"They used to make the world's largest strawberry shortcake there," she said.
DeVaul said the world's largest omelette was also cooked at the park in a giant frying pan.
"Recreation Park is really utilized for softball, fast pitch, and the Penny Playground, but there's not really a place to go for a family, or if you want to get together for just a nice afternoon picnic," Small said. "The board thought if we got (Alexander Park) up and going it would be a family-use facility."
The foundation would need community volunteers to help out in the restoration of the park, both with labor and financial donations.
"The more volunteer labor you have the more the cost goes down," Small said. "We need volunteer laborers that can help in the cleaning up and getting the buildings ready and things like that."
The foundation will use the next two months to see whether opening the park is feasible, with the amount of money they have to work with and the amount of community support they might receive. Currently they have no cost estimate.
"I guess we wanted to really get a feel of how many people out there would be excited about the fact of it being reopened and the usage," Small said.
"There would have to be bulldozing and restructuring and replanting and reseeding and barbecue pits and all of that," she said. "With (the foundation) being a 501(c)(3) charity, the (donators) will get a tax writeup. Also the volunteer labor would decrease the actual outlay financial cost.
"This is one of the purposes of the foundation, which is to perhaps get some things done that the city, with financial shortfalls, is not able to do, and to have the community involved in this."
"It's a really neat facility," DeVaul said. "It has so much potential."
Community members interested in volunteering can call Small at 748-1987, J. Vander Stoep at 748-9281, or the Chehalis Foundation at 748-0271 ext. 231.
Amanda Wilber covers Twin Cities government for The Chronicle. She may be reached by e-mail at awilber@chronline.com, or by telephoning 807-8241.
