By Ryan Ottney | Daily Times
Rent 2 Own in New Boston has volunteered to spend $30,000 cleaning up and installing new equipment at Village Square Park across from their store on Rhodes Avenue.
RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY
PDT Staff Writer
NEW BOSTON — The Rent 2 Own store in New Boston has volunteered to spend up to $30,000 and countless hours cleaning up Village Square Park across the street from its store on Rhodes Avenue.
“I’m from this town, and when you go to a lot of stores people are from a lot of other areas. But I know this community has been through a lot lately, and I look at this park and see kids in the neighborhood playing. I know our funds are limited, but I wanted to give them something good this year. Something they can keep for years to come,” Assistant Store Manager Brittany Tatman said.
Tatman easily gained the support of her managers and corporate office in Bainbridge, Ohio. Then she brought her idea to New Boston Village Council on May 15 to ask their permission to clean up the park and install new playground equipment. Council unanimously agreed, with a vote of five ‘yes’ and one emphatic vote of ‘absolutely’.
With council’s approval, Tatman and others at Rent 2 Own immediately began discussing plans for the park. First they will strip the chain fence and paint it red — the color of New Boston Schools and Rent 2 Own. They’ll dig out dead bushes and tree stumps, repair holes in the grass, and install a large wooden sign with the park’s name and history inscribed.
“Around all the equipment, we’re going to put some mulch and rock to keep the kids safe,” Tatman said. “We’re going to clean-up and re-paint existing equipment and change out the hardware to make sure it’s safe.”
They will also add a new roof to the shelter house, new park benches, a new slide, a climbing dome, new swings, new basketball equipment, and soccer goals. The entire project will cost nearly $30,000, Tatman said.
Because the store is donating so much of its own time and money, the park will also feature Rent 2 Own branding on some of the equipment. The sign outside will read, “New Boston Village Square Park, sponsored by Rent 2 Own.”
“We’re going to go ahead and start on the landscaping, digging the tree up and getting that patched. We’re hoping to start everything else mid-next month (June). We want it completely finished, open and workable by the end of July,” Tatman said.
The store will be responsible for maintaining the new landscaping and park equipment, but Tatman said they would welcome any help the village offers.
Formerly on Gallia Street in Portsmouth since 1992, Rent 2 Own built a new store in the New Boston Kmart shopping center in September. Tatman said the new store has been much busier than they were in Portsmouth, with a location along the main highway.
Ryan Scott Ottney can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 235, or rottney@heartlandpublications.com.
First of all, this company's taxes went from Ptown to NB. And now it appears that the private sector is subsidizing the public sector, or is it a push?
Bet Ptown will not start this, the private sector pockets will have to decrease the Dole they are on, the tap would be tempered, not full throttled?
This is like they do in the big cities, money for advertising at the Sports Stadiums, etc? Hope the IRS has control of this. And NB too. Is this quid pro quo or something like that? Legal?
Now, we know that NB gives the big bouys tax abatments like Ptown has given some $40 million and counting.
This company is deep pockets. Of course, they will get tax deductions but what about their employees, will they get paid for the operations and maintenance work on the park or will it be volunteering for their community? Are they VISTA or Americorps volunteers? Interesting.
What will the insurance cover and who pays that and is the tail wagging the dog or visa versa?
So many questions, more than the answers given?
Surely the citizens of NW, are clear on what's going on, especially the ones who frequent Rent 2 Own.
Hey what happened to the eatery that was to go in there? Perhaps they comply with the zoning?
Did anyone design that park with rubberized landing at the very least?