From left, Tori Tadlock, Membership and Events of the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley, Mary Anne Ketelsen, President of Mr. Bee’s Potato Chips, children Halle McElfish and Alexander Parrish and Jeff Olson, CEO of Parkersburg YMCA, cut the ribbon to signify the complex’s opening. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
PARKERSBURG — An overcast and misty day didn’t stop local children from play.
The Parkersburg YMCA hosted the grand opening of the Mary “Mickey” Welch playground at 3 p.m. Monday. Officials from the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley were in attendance.
Tori Tadlock, Membership and Events of the Chamber, Mary Anne Ketelsen, President of Mr Bee’s Potato Chips and daughter of Mary “Mickey” Welch, Jeff Olson, CEO of Parkersburg YMCA, along with children Halle McElfish and Alexander Parrish, cut the ribbon to signify the complex’s opening. Approximately 30 children were seen playing on the obstacles.
Olson said the project took approximately eight months from start to finish. The project was funded by $120,000 in grant money, including obtaining the playground equipment in a unique way.
“I entered an online contest by BCI Burke,” he said. “I won it somehow and we received $36,000 in equipment.”
From left, Kaden Forshe, 10, Bella Butler, 10, and Carly Bonette, 11, play on the new equipment at the Parkersburg YMCA. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
The new complex resides on the east side of the YMCA, next to Broad Street. The city of Parkersburg built a guardrail to protect the children from oncoming traffic. Astroturf was installed as ground material as it was deemed the safest, according to Olson.
The project began when the YMCA needed to make repairs in the original location.
“The retaining wall needed fixed,” Solomia Wilson, Marketing and Communications Director, said. “We needed to move the old equipment to fix it, so we decided to add the new ones in a more convenient location.”
The complex was named after Welch, who believed in giving back, according to Ketelsen.
“My mother was a giver,” Ketelsen said. “Her comeback always was, ‘I wish I could do more.’”
Ketelsen said she demonstrated her giving by opening two Montessori schools in the area, one at the YWCA and the other at the Parkersburg Art Center.
Wilson hopes the new equipment will add to the organization’s offerings.
“We offer a variety of after-school programs for children,” she said. “I think the kids are happy [the project is finished] since they can play on it now.”
Kristen Hainkel can be reached at khainkel@newsandsentinel.com