An odd meeting place

Do you remember in school, when a beautiful spring day would make you long to have class outside? Fillmore Township put an adult spin on that adolescent dream Tuesday when the board held its regular business meeting under the gazebo in its newly dedicated Cottonwood Park.

Keith Potter, Ken DeWeerdt and Janella Hop meet Tuesday.

The township board hosted the dedication earlier in the evening. Treasurer Janella Hop, with the help of Graafschap firefighter Wayne Mokma, cooked up the hot dogs as children ran around the playground and the adults toured the 20-acre wooded lot. After the ribbon-cutting, the board gathered or the business end of the evening.

The sun was setting behind the trees when Supervisor Kieth Potter called the meeting to session at 7 p.m. The board members didn't have all the paperwork with them, but they managed to get through it OK. In fact, the meeting lasted 8 minutes.

About the park

Trustees Robert Yonker and Chuck Schaap at the meeting.

Here's how the dedication ceremony went:

Karyl Mulder looked around the newly dedicated Cottonwood Park on Tuesday: The leaves were turning their fall colors, children played on the swings, people grilled hot dogs over hot coals.

“It’s been quite a journey,” she said, reflecting on her son Ron who inspired the name of Fillmore Township’s only park. “The rest of the story can be tonight.”

More than 50 people participated in the ceremony that included free food and snacks, tours of the 20 acres and a ribbon-cutting.

The park is on 143rd Avenue near 54th Street and took about five years to complete. It cost about $286,000. Fillmore received a $201,000 grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund for the project.

The name was requested by the family of Ron Mulder.

Mulder was a member of the Fillmore Township Board of Appeals and worked on renovations at the park. He died Sept. 30, 2010, of an apparent heart attack.

Mulder’s sister Any Kole suggested the park be named Cottonwood Trails, Cottonwood Park or Whispering Woods Trails because of comments Mulder made on Facebook about a cottonwood tree. Kole had said she disliked them because of their messiness.

“Ron responded, ‘I like cottonwoods. The wind blowing through their leaves sounds different than it does through any other tree. Does anyone notice that or are they too busy?’” Kole said.

Kole and other family members wore shirts with Mulder’s image on them and the words, “Ron Mulder Forever Loved,” as they mingled with the crowd at the dedication.

“I love it, I think it’s awesome,” Karyl said about the park. “I only wish Ron could see it.”

He’d like the park, township Supervisor Keith Potter said.

“He’d be happy with it.”

Serving dinner at the park dedication.

Link

Check out more pictures from the event:

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/photo/x1742683813/Fillmore-Township-park-dedication?page=0