Many Hands

Community Contributions have Paved the Way for Changes at Rawley Park, in Richford, NY

• D.E. BENTLEY –

As I walked the pathway that winds around the green fields of Rawley Park, in Richford, NY, my mind wandered, remembering the many people who came before. The visit there was sad in some ways. It is in this small-town place that my parents, two of my grandparents and numerous other relatives (mine and those of folks I know or have known) have been laid to rest—at Highland Cemetery. The park itself holds happy memories of family gatherings, including the Talcott Family Reunions. 

Earlier this summer, we picnicked on a bench alongside the open-air pavilion. We marveled at the brightly colored and intricately adorned mosaic as we sat enjoying the warm air and gentle breeze—looking out at the surrounding countryside…and looking back.

The passing of time was evident from where we sat. Just visible above the trees, I could see a silo and the roof of a farmhouse, safe within the towering vegetation that was once, not so long ago, field. The progression of time was also evident in the park. Much had changed within the the park. There was the walking trail, and more open green area within it. A physical fitness circuit had also been added. There was a mosaic on the pavilion and a mural on the dugout wall. There were more ways to play: a jungle gym and tandem swing; an outdoor ping pong table (how cool is that); and an octagonal pit for *ga-ga ball (something I knew nothing about, but my sisters were versed in). Some things, like the train tracks that traverse the back edge of the park—and the east branch of Owego Creek that winds its way beyond them—remained the same. 

A month after my July 2020 visit with two of my sisters, I returned again to Rawley Park—this time to meet with and interview Vicki and Charles Davis. Charles is, I learned at the time of our meeting, Richford’s Town Supervisor; Vicki works in the Energy and Sustainability Department, at Cornell University. Both have played major roles in the park’s revitalization. I was drawn back initially by a community mosaic that now graces the wall of the pavilion. I discovered far more. During our almost two-hour meeting, the Davis’—who were joined by their daughter Piper—shared with me details of the transformation in the park, and the surrounding community.

If people are the main “ingredient” in a recipe for progress, money is inevitably the second one. In the case of the walking trail that defines and expands the park’s usability—as an off-road course for bicyclists-in-training, a walking trail for caregivers with strollers, a path to physical fitness, or a strolling circle for friends—$150,000 in grant monies, which covered much of the cost, were the result of a video made for a USA Today grant application. The video made it into the hands of NYS Senator Fred Akshar (NYS Senate District 52), who was supportive of the project and secured funding through the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY). The eight-month-long project was completed by local companies: it was engineered by Delta Engineers, Architects, & Land Surveyors, DPC of Endwell, NY; the paving was contracted to Broome Bituminous Products Inc. of Vestal with support from Town of Richford Highway department.

Throughout our conversation, the role of people in the community dominated. There are the people who take care of the logistics and day-to-day details: Richford’s Deputy Superintendent, Cyndi Herrick—who is the founder of Friends of Rawley Park and worked to secure almost all of the grants. Barbara Keener, a regular contributor, was collectively referred to as the “Town’s Super Woman.” Vicki Davis elaborated: “She is the park attendant, lawn mower, coordinator of memorials, fire department volunteer, Friends of Rawley Park volunteer, and she cleans and sets up for the kids food program—you name it, she is there.” 

There are those who give money and goods, including the Floyd Hooker Foundation (playground and exercise equipment); the Northern Tioga Chamber of Commerce; the Mildred Faulkner Truman Foundation (security cameras); Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes (mosaic); and Community Foundation for South Central New York (one of the funders of the original playground and the funder of the first concert in the park); and Lowes (rehab of pavilion).  There is the Frederici Family, who gave land for park expansion to the south. Most of all, there are the many, many people who give pieces of themselves, all offering something. The Friends of Rawley Park Facebook site is a who’s who of community members who have helped out along the way, along with a continuing call for volunteers to join in on the fun. 

Many of those who have given time and energy to Rawley Park are young people—including Piper Davis, who assisted with the creation of the video that secured funding for the pathway around the park and the mosaic. There is Girl Scout Troop 40276, who were some of the core creators of the mosaic. There is Corey Coombs, an Eagle Scout who refurbished the benches for the pavilion. And a Newark Valley High School Alumni painted the back of the dugout. There are the two young women, Joslyn Wright and Kaitlyn Babcock, who led the building of the ga-ga ball pit for their Girl Scout silver award project. There were the many girl scouts and others, from “little bits” on up, who worked together on the mosaic.

I asked Piper what she thought of her generation being referred to as a “me” generation.  She was quick to defend her peers. “Many [young people] see the state of the world, that the world is in crisis and think, this is what we are inheriting. We want to do what we can to change it. We can’t vote [yet] so we are making changes where we can.” Based on the many, many young people who have given of themselves for the projects at Rawley Park, it is evident that many young people truly do care. 

Charles Davis agreed with Piper. “We are a town with possibilities.” It appears to me that that possibility is taking hold, at the park and in the wider community. Yes, there is still work to be done. There are ongoing issues with flooding from Owego Creek that will need to be remedied to safeguard the park and its users. This work requires coordination with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), to safeguard the sensitive environmental wetlands beyond the railroad tracks. And the ballfield needs to be refurbished. I have no doubt that these projects, and many others, will find the people and money needed to become realities.  

The benefits of these community initiatives are evidenced by increased use of the building and grounds. As our conversation wound down, a car pulled up. The door opened, releasing three young children. They were shadowed by their father and grandmother. I watched as they ran here, and there, playing on the spring animals and getting pushed on the swings. I talked with the grandmother, Allie Zukowski. They traveled to the park from Berkshire, NY, to give the children some outside time to play. 

Having grown up in and visited many small towns across New York State, I can say without hesitation that small town change is a slow process. Seeing the progress made at Rawley Park in just a few years reminds me that it does happen. Small changes can mushroom into larger changes. 

As I headed out, I stopped and watched workers completing the sidewalk in front of a new development at the crossroads of Richford, NY. The Davises had mentioned this project and shared their excitement about this local community investment in the Richford Plaza. An Italian restaurant, ice cream shop, hardware store, and hair salon in the plaza will join the existing local businesses. 

I love small towns, and this one has a special place in my heart. Giving is nothing new here. The Richford namesake came from an early settler, Ezekiel Rich, who donated land for half of the public square.** This collaborative spirit of multi-generational giving is immortalized in the mosaic, which includes handprints from many who joined in—including those of the Wright Family, with four generations represented. As with many such initiatives, the many changes to the park, and the town, including the mosaic that first drew me back here to learn more, is the work of many hands. 

*Ga-ga, according to my sisters, is a bit like dodgeball, but is played in a ga-ga “pit” with everyone throwing and dodging the ball.  There is dodging, striking, running, and jumping, with the objective of being the last person standing. 

** For more information about the history of Richford and other Tioga County destinations visit The Tioga County Historical Society (tiogahistory.org) or Richford Historical Society

To follow the progress at the park—or become involved—visit them at: www.facebook.com/Friendsofrawleypark.