Oran moves funds from grass-cutting for park improvements

ORAN, Mo. -- Because the Oran Park Board reallocated funds used for grass-cutting two years ago, board members have made significant changes to the George Tilles Jr. Memorial Park.

In the southwest part of town, the park is home to the city's baseball, softball and teeball fields as well as a playground, basketball court and batting cages.

Cindy Seyer, secretary and treasurer of the park board, said the project was a huge, communitywide effort.

"It started in fall 2013, adding the bathrooms, and then last year until the fall of 2015, we added on the pavilion next to the concession stands," Seyer said. "We also asked anyone splitting any perennial plants that they would like to donate, we would plant around the park as well."

The community has responded positively, Seyer said, and donations have come in, including the rose bushes at the park's entrance.

Tom Romas, vice president of the Oran Park Board, uses an angle grinder to smooth a rough edge on a slide Saturday at The George Tilles Jr. Memorial Park in Oran, Missouri. (Glenn Landberg)

Park board members also made several upgrades around the park, such as improving the playground equipment and fixing chains on the swing set to make them safer for children.

The board met at the park Saturday to complete smaller projects and raised a bigger American flag.

Mayor Gary Senciboy, with the board of alderman, have worked to bring a new early-warning system to the city in the past few weeks. Seyer said it was an improvement over the previous system. She also said she hopes two more sound systems eventually will be installed near the park and the school.

The park board is working on finishing a sand volleyball court at the park. Seyer said it has the net and poles but is waiting to sand the court. The board plans to add a scoreboard to the softball field. Seyer said there's already one at the baseball field, but the school recently donated its old scoreboard to be used, as well.

The park board made the improvements after the city agreed to take over mowing at the park. Seyer said in the past, much of the board's funding went toward paying a company to mow the grounds, but the city agreed to take over the responsibilities if the park board used money to beautify the park.

Seyer said while it's been a gradual process, the park's appearance has improved.

"We've been very fortunate that the city did that for us," she said. "There would have been no way to build the pavilion and bathrooms without them."

smaue@semissourian.com

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Oran, Missouri