A Quick Rundown Of What Mount Vernon Parks Foundation Has Planned For 2020 - From Newly Elected President Ryan Morrison & Past President Danny Pickering
As I write this blog post for the Mount Vernon Parks Foundation, my last as president of this fine organization, I feel the need to recap, reflect and look ahead.
Over the last few years MVPF has been active and successful in providing opportunities for people in our community to be outside doing healthy things that they enjoy. We connect people to parks, and in doing so, are investing in the health of our community.
We have built trails. At Little Mountain Park we have been able to add to the already stellar trail system with the addition of the Mossy Rock Trail, Pitch and Roll Directional Mountain Bike Trail, and the Mountain Bike Skills Park at the Heart of the Park facility to be completed this spring. We have cultivated a volunteer base, Mount Vernon Trail Corps, who are excellent stewards of the park and it’s trail system. Thanks to help from REI’s Adventure Projects development team, we were able to add Little Mountain Park’s trails to three of their many Free Trail Map Apps. We also implemented a comprehensive trail sign system throughout Little Mountain Park.
We have introduced Disc Golf to Edgewater Park. Not only is Disc Golf a sport seeing incredible increases in popularity, it is a great way to pump some positive use into a jewel of a park boasting 55 acres of waterfront property directly across from Downtown MV! We have a vision for a championship level course that will attract tourists and tournaments alike. But more importantly, it will be another activity available to our friends and neighbors, something for them to enjoy and pursue.
We have helped bring permanent, dedicated Pickleball Courts to Mount Vernon. This spring will see the completion of a renovation that transforms the south racquet court at Hillcrest Park into a first class Pickleball court boasting six pickleball courts. The Pickleball community in our area is very active, and growing! We are proud to have helped bring another opportunity for people in our community to be active and to get exercise in a fun and social way.
We have established an Educational Outreach Program that brings ALL of our town’s Fifth Graders up to Little Mountain Park for a day hike from the base to the summit and back again. We believe that this investment in our youth, being able to introduce some of these kids to hiking for the first time, is an investment in our community’s future as much as theirs. The benefits of living healthy and being active are indisputable, and promoting this within our youth is something we are very proud of.
We have established a trademark event, the MVPF Trail Mixer. On the second Sunday of September, trailheads will choose between a hike, a run or a Mountain Bike ride. There are dedicated routes for each, all through Little Mountain Park. At the finish line, a party to celebrate and support active recreation and the ongoing health of our parks. With live music, a food truck, beer and wine, it’s a party not to be missed!
What does MVPF have planned moving forward? Look for a Membership Drive, the pursuit of a bicycle pump track, expansion of Disc Golf at Edgewater, a new website, and continued advocacy for trails. We will continue to look for ways to connect people to parks, expanding on what is established and also looking for new recreational opportunities.
And now on a personal note. My time on the Mount Vernon Parks Foundation Board has been very fulfilling. It has meant a great deal to me and I am proud of the work done and of the Foundation as it finds itself today. We have great momentum, a strong and dedicated group of talented and motivated people who believe in the benefits of healthy recreation and the effect it can have on a community. I plan to take my roll of immediate past-president seriously and look forward to sitting on the board from the perspective of a different seat. Thank you for your ongoing support of MVPF and for being a part of something that is so important, making our parks the best they can be, for the benefit of all of us.
Sincerely,
Danny Pickering, Past President
Mount Vernon Parks Foundation