Horsham Rotary Club Plans to Fundraise for Kohler Park

The Horsham Rotary Club intends to put the pedal to the metal and make sure golf strokes are up to par to help fund $75,000 in upgrades to Kohler Park.

Rick Kidron, the club’s president-elect, pledged the 46-member group’s support to Horsham Township Council during the governing body’s meeting Wednesday.

Kidron said he expected to have a check in hand to present to the council by June 2012.

“We would like to get started on this very, very rapidly,” Kidron said. Kidron said he expected to replace outdated playground equipment and add a picnic grove with pavilions by September 2012. The improvements would help to “kickstart” other improvements the council has on its master site plan for the 71.42-acre park.

Township Manager Bill Walker said other upgrades, including renovating and dredging the pond, bank stabilization, enhanced pedestrian access, added signage, as well as a laundry list of other items, would be carried out “when money’s available.”

In terms of the Rotary Club’s endeavor, Kidron said the easiest way the community can help is to support the group’s upcoming fundraisers, which include a Bike-A-Thon on May 1, an annual golf outing in September, as well as some other not yet finalized events geared specifically to Kohler Park.

“This is a project that needs to be done,” Kidron said. “We felt we could do it.”

Walker said he has no doubt the club will succeed in raising $75,000. If anything, he said the club might have to limit itself to that amount because of parking constraints.

“The playground can only be so big,” Walker said, adding that it will be comparable in size to Deep Meadow Park.

The jewel of the Horsham Rotary Club’s 40-year crown is by far Everybody’s Playground, which features equipment for individuals with special needs. The facilities are housed in the 50-acre Lukens Park. Walker said the Rotary Club had set out to raise $60,000 to help purchase and install equipment at Everybody’s Playground in 2003. In the end, the club chipped in $400,000 to cover the entire playground, installation and part of the pavilion.