We celebrate our FIFTH year in January 2004. Let’s look at the accomplishments of 2003 and pat ourselves on the back for the visible difference we have made at our park and partnerships we have formed in the community.

Mike Svec, Bob Griffin, Ava Chitty, and Gene McCall joined our board in January 2003, filling in for retiring members John DeWorken, Jean Blank, Anne Gerhiser, Tom Dudley, and Rob Northridge. 

Debbie Fowler agreed to take the post of Vice President and Friends Day Chairperson, Ava Chitty became our new secretary, Mike Svec joined the education committee and Gene McCall took the reins as Fund Raising Chairman. Together we put on our annual Friends Day celebration, with the Greenville Concert Band performing beside Lake Placid, with an attendance of 1000. All over the state folks talk about the dynamic Friends group we have and fledgling friends groups are calling me to ask how we work. I always respond that it’s our active board members and trail or education volunteers who are the backbone of change at Paris Mountain State Park. Thanks to all of you, we have had another great year.

Although PRT increased the fees at all state parks, Paris Mountain State Park has experienced a steady growth in park attendance and Friends members. At this writing, we have over 500 recorded member donors, many of who joined in 2003, greatly due to Ty Houck’s strong daily encouragement to visitors to buy a park pass and become a member of friends as a bonus. We continue to give our donors special notice of our popular Fourth Saturday programs, which are being organized by Anne Littlejohn.

The big news of 2003 was meeting our Park Center Renovation goal of $200,000, thanks to a $100,000 donation from BMW. Home Depot also joined us as business partners when they adopted us as their Team Depot Project. Gene McCall, Fundraising Chair, lost no time in getting a new fund raising ball rolling for Educational Exhibits which will grace the Park Center’s Exhibit Hall.

Educational accomplishments of the year include:

• More than 800 students have participated in our two ecology programs
• Saturday program brochures have been printed and widely distributed
• Nature Trail brochure written by Cathy Taylor, edited by Dave Wilder and printed by The Friends for use by teachers and the public
• Math Trail brochure written by Marge Scieszka (in final production)
• Paris Elementary Science Trail brochure made available for public use, funded by Village Green Grant
• Saturday hikes planned by Cathy Taylor
• A digital camera was purchased by Friends for use in educational programs

Trail and park improvements:

• Brissy Ridge Trail renovated by volunteers and rerouted for shared-use
• Wayne Bower named Trail Volunteer of the Year by American Hiking Association
• Friends purchased lawnmower for park
• Park received grant (initiated by Tom Dudley) that is enabling park to purchase a trail bulldozer "Ditch Witch" and hire two trail builders for eighteen months
• Hands on Greenville adopted our park as monthly project
• Working on plans for Greenway project to connect Dreamland to park
• Lake Placid trail revitalization and reconstruction at dam underway
• Trail connecting Park Center to campgrounds underway
• Park won grant for Americorp students to build trails and other projects
  New signage placed around Greenville directing folks to the park

Respectfully submitted,

Mary Lou Jones, President

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