Staff photo / Bob Coupland
Tiffany Stringham of Leavittsburg with her daughter, Magnolia Stringham, 3, look over renderings of new playground equipment to be installed this fall to replace the 30-year old Imagination Station play area, which is being taken down for safety. Families gathered Saturday at Bazetta Township Park to hold a farewell event to Imagination Station. The park closes Sept. 8 so the work can begin.

A four-hour “Farewell to Imagination Station” event took place Saturday at Bazetta Township Park where families could enjoy food and activities with children getting to explore the play area.

Resident Mary Gearhart Kaschak, one of the event organizers, said the park will close for the season Sept. 8 so work can begin to take down Imagination Station and begin installing a new all-inclusive play area that will take four to six weeks and should be complete by mid-October.

She said a re-dedication and opening of the new play area will take place in the spring.

“This lets people share memories and say goodbye to Imagination Station,” Gearhart Kaschak said.

Township Trustee Chairman Mike Hovis said Imagination Station lasted 30 years and is beyond its useful life and needs to be replaced for safety.

“Many of the other area play areas that were built when Imagination Station was are all taken down and gone. Our past and present boards of trustees have done a great job with maintenance and upkeep to extend the usage of Imagination Station as long as we can. Bazetta has extended the tax dollars for the play area,” Hovis said.

Gearhart Kaschak said the play area has been around since 1995 and has been used by many families.

She said she brought her daughter, Jennifer, to Imagination Station when she was young and now brings her grandchild.

Hovis said he and his wife used to bring their son to the play area and now his three grandsons use it.

“This will always be remembered as a unique one-of-a-kind playground nestled in a wooded area. It was a family tradition for many people to bring their children to Imagination Station,” Hovis said.

Gearhart Kaschak said the area is shaded by the trees, allowing it to cool off.

Lacey and Austin Byard of Bazetta brought their children, Luke, 4, and Emme, 8, to the event.

“When we were kids, we grew up playing here. Now our children come here and love it,” Lacey said.

The Trumbull County Boat Club, which uses Mosquito Lake for their boating, was at the event to help serve food as was the Bazetta Cortland Optimist Club..

Hovis said the new play area will be made handicapped accessible and available for use by children of all abilities. He said to make Imagination Station exactly the same would have cost $800,000, which the township can’t afford.

“I have had people today tell me they played on Imagination Station and now their children do,” he said.

He said trustees secured $300,000 from the state capital budget with assistance from state Reps. Sandra O’Brien, R-Lenox, and Nick Santucci, R-Niles, for the new play area.

“No local tax dollars were used for this,” Hovis said.

Kaschak said a Bazetta Community Day is being planned 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 13 at Mijavec’s Catering and Concessions property at 2193 Wilson Sharpville Road, south of the township administration building, to help raise funds for other projects and updates at the park.

When Imagination Station was erected in 1995, volunteers from the community made it possible.

Members of the Bazetta Fire Department and workers with East Ohio Gas volunteered their time to build it

Kelly Nalbach of Cortland said it took a week to build Imagination Station.

“East Ohio Gas often volunteers at community projects like this,” Hovis said.

Steve Rock of Bazetta and with the Bazetta Cortland Optimist Club said everyone came together to help set up Imagination Station.

“I was part of the fire department at that time. There was a large group who showed up to help. A lot of us knew woodworking and contracting. Back then none of us would have imagined it would still be here 30 years later.” he said.

Rock said the Optimists are hosting a gun and designer purse bingo at 2 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Optimist Club, 2619 Hoagland Blackstub Road, with 25% of the proceeds to be given for the park and the new play area.