ASHLAND — Ashland’s Freer Field has brand new trail markers, thanks to the most recently graduated Leadership Ashland class.
Leadership Ashland runs through the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce. The program aims to empower community leaders, and boasts over 700 citizens who’ve graduated from it.
Classes run September to June. John Swope, the director of field education and an assistant professor of practical theology at Ashland University, serves as the program’s facilitator.
This year’s class installed 19 poles, 40 signs and confidence markers to help people follow the trails at Freer Field.
The class unveiled the new markers Thursday afternoon with a ribbon cutting hosted by the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce.
Representatives from Attorney General Dave Yost’s Office and Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office gave comments at the event. Matt Miller also presented a proclamation on behalf of state Rep. Melanie Miller, and spoke in his own capacity as mayor.
Making their mark
The class got the idea for the project during tours. They have to take a bus tour of various Ashland sites as part of the classes. One of those sites was the county parks, said Chad Buzzard.
Buzzard, who works at the Ashland Fire Department and is a member of the Leadership Ashland class of 2024, said marking the trails came up as an idea for the class’s community service project. Completion of a service project is part of the course’s requirements.
According to Buzzard, the lack of trail markings poses a challenge for the fire department if people call for help in the woods. Without markers, firefighters can’t get to people in the woods easily if they need to.
After the tour of the county parks, Buzzard shared seeing how much the small staff and volunteers do to upkeep the parks for everybody’s use served as inspiration.
Lindsey Hoover works at Simonson Construction Services and helped lead the project.
She shared how the class split the work between several teams to get the project completed. They also received support from Eric Schneider, the director of the Ashland County Park District, Hoover said.
Hoover added several area businesses jumped in quickly to support the project, both financially and by providing materials.
“Ashland is blessed with so many businesses with big hearts and giving hands,” Hoover said.
