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Patton’s swimming pool hadn’t seen much change since construction in the 1940s, and it showed. But thanks to local resident Linda Conrad and a group of dedicated volunteers, the tired facility is getting a face-lift.
Conrad and fellow Patton Park Commission members are unsung heroes in town, Patton Mayor Steve Bakajza said.
Calling Patton Park the town’s “hidden jewel,” he said the group works hard to make it shine.
In recent years they’ve done pavilion work, spearheaded a fundraiser to resurface the swimming pool’s interior surface and surrounding walkways and are now raising money for a new bathhouse.
“They worked on their end to raise half of the funds,” the mayor said, noting the borough partnered with them. “If it weren’t for them, I don’t know how it would have happened.”
“They’ve done a great job,” he said, adding Conrad “deserves plenty of credit.”
Conrad said there is plenty of praise to go around. Vicki Legros, vice president of the commission, and Harold Gabrielson, its president, and the other members of the commission also have done a great job moving the work forward.
They are not alone.
“(We could not do it) without the help of many people that work on a volunteer basis throughout this town,” Conrad said. “There are people all over this town who do volunteer work. I don’t feel special in any way.”
A retired borough employee, Conrad said the commission holds annual events to support the park – perhaps none bigger than the annual Labor Day Sunday festival.
Scheduled for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 2, the event includes a car show, basket auction, live music, crafters, bingo and games for the children. A chicken dinner also will be offered, as well as the annual “Crock Pot Cookoff.”
Bakajza said it’s a popular event that brings in a crowd.
If the weather cooperates, the festival usually brings in about $10,000 – money that goes directly into park projects, Conrad said.
“We have very strong public support,” she said. “In today’s economic world, they are more than giving.”
Conrad has worked on the Christmas committee for the borough and also is involved in functions at her church – Queen of Peace.
“I’m just one of those bumble bees,” she said with a laugh.
She said she gets a little defensive whenever she hears anyone say something bad about the borough.
She volunteers because she wants to give back to the place she calls home.
“I just love this town,” she said. “We’re not perfect. You can look at all the ugliness in the world, but there is a whole lot of goodness and you don’t have to look very far (to find it).”
For her efforts to improve her town, Linda Conrad is our Person of the Week.
“People like her have worked inch by inch to make the park what it is today,” Bakajza said.
David Hurst contributed to this report.
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