On August 6th, South Cumminsville residents celebrated the renovation of the Wayne Playfield on Beekman Street.  The renovations include two rehabbed baseball fields, including bleachers, a scoreboard, and a homerun fence, an extended football field, and painted playground equipment.
These renovations were made possible through the volunteer efforts of 400 Procter & Gamble employees and the Cincinnati Reds Community Fund.  The South Cumminsville Community Council worked with the Cincinnati Recreation Department to make the park improvements as part of the council’s plan to revitalize the Beekman Street corridor.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Reds Community Fund and Procter and Gamble to South Cumminsville,” said South Cumminsville Community Council President Marilyn Evans.  “This project will help us achieve one of the objectives in our community plan—to improve our existing green space and to make our park more user friendly.”
The South Cumminsville Community Council is working to accomplish a 5-year community plan to improve living conditions in the neighborhood and to attract businesses to the area.  In 2013, the South Cumminsville conducted a walkability study for the Beekman Street corridor.  The South Cumminsville Action Team has worked with the City to implement street-calming measures to improve the area for pedestrians.  Other aspects of the plan include attracting job-training opportunities and businesses to the area, creating home ownership opportunities, and creating buffer zones between heavy industry and residential areas.
“This project is right on time,” said Evans.  “We are getting a new bathroom facility in the park, an expanded football field, and now the Reds and P&G are helping us get a premier baseball field.  The additional landscaping along Beekman will make our park one of the best in the city, and it will go a long way to promote the community’s vision for the Beekman corridor.”
[gallery_bank type=”images” format=”masonry” title=”true” desc=”true” responsive=”true” animation_effect=”” album_title=”true” album_id=”1″]