City of Fairmont and FSU Collaborate to Improve 5th Street Park

An ongoing collaboration between Fairmont State University and the City of Fairmont to improve Fifth Street Park next will revitalize the park’s basketball courts.

The City of Fairmont; the FSU School of Education, Health and Human Performance; and its Outdoor Adventure Club are partnering on the third phase in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan to renovate the park for the city’s youth. The project is led by Kathy Wyrosdick, Director of Planning and Development for the City of Fairmont, and Matthew Schmuck, Assistant to the Dean for Outdoor Programming and Outreach in the FSU School of Education.

“FSU and the City of Fairmont have created partnerships that will positively impact the college as well as the community as a whole. Our collaboration on the revitalization of Fifth Street Park is just one example of how students, faculty and University and City staff working together can accomplish anything. Many thanks to all who have participated in Fairmont's future and to those who will continue to do so,” Wyrosdick said.

Growing up playing at Fifth Street Park, Schmuck remembers it as a place where families gathered to enjoy the day and where kids spent hours enjoying an active and healthy lifestyle. “I have many fond memories growing up in the city park, making friends and exploring the world around me,” he said. “The playground was the center of my world as a child and the heart of our neighborhood.”

Through a variety of funding sources and community support, city and county staff, volunteers and students in the “Recreation through Urban Planning” class at FSU have cleaned and mulched the park and have installed a new putting green, play structure, swing set, benches and slide at the park.

The goals of the Fifth Street Park Basketball Court Restoration Project are to encourage positive overall use and stewardship of the area and the park; improve recreation opportunities to promote healthier lifestyles; improve the quality of life for the students of FSU by providing off-campus recreation resources; renovate the basketball courts to allow the city to provide better community programming; and reduce impact injuries on the basketball court by rubberizing its surface. Collaboration on the project also helps strengthen ties between the City and its University; a Falcon logo will be featured on the courts when they are complete.

Those who would like to assist the effort can participate in an upcoming fundraiser. The FSU School of Education, Health and Human Performance and its Outdoor Adventure Club are hosting an elimination dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, at Westchester Village, 1825 Locust Ave., Fairmont, with proceeds going toward the basketball court project. The menu will include rigatoni and meatballs, chicken, green beans, salad, rolls and dessert. Door prizes and other prizes will be awarded at the event. Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased by contacting Matt Schmuck at (304) 367-4984 or e-mailing mschmuck1@fairmontstate.edu.

For more information on joining the Friends of Fifth Street, volunteering or donating to the cause, contact Schmuck or Kathy Wyrosdick at kwryosdick@fairmontwv.gov. Friends of Fifth Street also has a Facebook page to connect with upcoming events in support of the park.

Outdoor Adventure ClubKathy WyrosdickMatt SchmuckCity of FairmontFifth Street ParkSchool of Education, Health and Human Performance