— Daily Freeman-Journal photo by Anne Blankenship Crews from Habhab Construction were leveling the ground around the new playground and fitness equipment areas at East Twin Park on Wednesday. Once that is finished, a poured in-place rubber material will be installed under the equipment for safety reasons.

Now that spring has arrived and with it some warmer weather, groundwork at East Twin Park is moving forward this week.

New playground and fitness equipment were installed last fall. The park will soon see the finishing touches put in place around the new equipment.

“Habhab Construction donated time to put the sidewalks and foundation in around the new playground equipment and fitness areas,” said Larry Flaws, Webster City director of recreation and public grounds. “He’s preparing the ground right now, and we hope to have that done by April 15.”

The contractor is leveling out the dirt around the two areas and will put down gravel. After that is completed, Boldon Recreation will come in to apply the poured in place rubber, according to Flaws. The rubber will provide a cushion in case of falls around the equipment.

“The reason we had to wait a bit to finish that up was it has to be warm enough to pour the rubber. In some places, the rubber pad will be five to six inches thick. It has to be above 40 degrees overnight to get that poured,” he said.

Once the material is poured, Flaws said it will likely take a couple of days to cure. He said the equipment should be available for use soon after.

“I’m thinking the last week in April that people could start getting in to use the playground and exercise equipment,” Flaws said.

There will be other work to finish in East Twin Park. Sidewalks will be poured from Bank Street to the playground/fitness area as well as from Water Street to the equipment. A sidewalk will also be added from Union Street to the area. The sidewalks will offer more accessibility to the new equipment, he said. Future plans call for a new shelter with restrooms and a parking area at the east side of the park.

The new fitness area will feature Tai-Chi spinners, air walkers, elliptical, a recumbent bike, vertical press, hand cycle, back extension and other stations. In all, 26 people would be able to use the 11 fitness units at one time, according to the equipment specifications.

The playground features slides, swings, climbing areas and accessible ramps.

The basketball courts will remain in the park. New basketball hoops were added at the court last year, Flaws said. The small shelter with the picnic table near the court will also remain.

“We’re going to make that a little nicer. It’s a nice place to sit for people who may be watching the basketball players,” Flaws said. “It just needs a little TLC.”

In January 2020, the future of East Twin Park was uncertain as the City Council considered a request from The Overland Group, a commercial developer, to purchase 1.25 acres of the park for a new, larger Dollar General store building. Scores of concerned community members attended the council meeting Jan. 6, 2020. Some brought hand lettered posters and signs declaring “Save the Park” and “Webster City is not for sale.” Dozens stepped to the microphone to urge the council to save the park. Ultimately, the council unanimously voted no to the resolution authorizing the sale.

That meeting and the public outcry sparked fundraising efforts to revitalize East Twin Park as well as other parks in the community. A GoFundMe page was established which was later rolled into a fund started through the Enhance Hamilton County Foundation. The City of Webster City was also awarded a $96,000 matching grant from the Wellmark Foundation which helped purchase the new equipment for the park.