Blog

Jul 21, 2023

Ahlers park in Moses Lake gets 'game

MOSES LAKE – A celebratory air settled over Carl T. Ahlers Park in Moses Lake on Wednesday as community leaders and members congregated at 11 a.m. for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the new

MOSES LAKE – A celebratory air settled over Carl T. Ahlers Park in Moses Lake on Wednesday as community leaders and members congregated at 11 a.m. for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the new upgrades to the park.

Located directly across from Frontier Middle School at 500 W. Third Ave., the park has now been equipped with new game installations, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs.

The money for these upgrades was primarily raised during a joint golf tournament held in June, an initiative both clubs started in the 2010/11 rotary year. The tournament usually brings in around $13,000. With a generous addition of a $10,000 grant from the Rotary Foundation, this year's project budget reached a commendable $23,400.

Bill Aukett, the city's park maintenance superintendent, expressed his gratitude to the members of Rotary and Kiwanis who attended the ceremony. "We really enjoyed working with you folks. It has been fun. It was a great idea. Thank you very much, and we look forward to future projects,” he shared.

So, what’s new in Ahler’s Park? The additions are designed to promote community engagement and outdoor activity. Three concrete games have been established: a table tennis setup, a chess table, and two corn hole games. Given the substantial weight of the table tennis table, which weighs around 2500 lbs., the Moses Lake Park Department had to deploy heavy equipment for the installations. Meanwhile, Rotary members were hands-on, assisting in anchoring the games to concrete pads.

The decision to select Ahlers Park for these upgrades stems from its strategic location near the skateboard park and aquatic center. Moreover, the city had been toying with the idea of a game park for several months. Thus, when the Rotary club proposed the games as potential local project ideas, the city eagerly embraced it. These installations signify the commencement of broader renovations for Ahlers Park.

Pete Erickson, the current President of the Rotary Club of Moses Lake, shed light on the entire endeavor, sharing that the upgrades took approximately five days to complete. He highlighted the commitment of both the Kiwanis and Rotary clubs to spearhead service projects in Moses Lake. The clubs' past ventures include placing Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) across school buildings in the district, introducing new shelving in the library, remodeling homes for victims of domestic violence, and even initiatives as far-reaching as providing stoves for homes in Guatemala.

In attendance at ribbon cutting was: Kiwanis Club of Moses Lake, Rotary Club of Moses Lake, City of Moses Lake. Marjolein Lloyd, Rotary Club of Kelowna Sunrise, BC Canada (and Rotary District Governor).

While the Kiwanis club is currently brainstorming their project for next year, the Rotary Club is already preparing to submit a grant application to the Rotary Foundation by April 2024.

This initiative at Ahlers Park stands testament to the unyielding spirit of community service and unity, making Moses Lake a better place one project at a time.