July 2, 2010
By MEGHAN V. MALLOY
The Albaugh family is heartened by Ankeny’s reaction to 3-acre area in remembrance of patriarch.
Family, friends and Ankeny residents remembered the late Dean Albaugh last week by looking into the future.
Roughly 100 people gathered on a balmy evening June 24 at Dean Park, which was named for Albaugh and constructed by his family. The park is in the Prairie Trail development, at Southwest 19th Street and Southwest College Avenue. DRA Properties, which is owned by Dean Albaugh’s son, Dennis Albaugh, is the lead developer for Prairie Trail.
The park is the perfect way to preserve Dean Albaugh’s memory, said his adult granddaughter, Tara Meredith.
“My grandpa was all about family, and getting together with his family,” she said. “I know he would have liked to come to this park to see families gathering and kids playing.”
Dean Park is the 35th developed park in Ankeny. Parks and Recreation Director Todd Redenius said while Dean Park sits on a mere 3 acres, it has become “one of the most popular” parks in the city.
Mostly completed last fall, it features a full playground with a rubberized base rather than asphalt, a basketball hoop and a spray fountain – a feature unique to Dean Park.
Redenius said he suspects the spray fountain “is one of the reasons Dean Park has become so popular. It’s been a draw for citizens throughout Ankeny, not just those in Prairie Trail.”
The button-activated spray fountain seemed to be popular at the ceremony, much to the delight of the children daring to see how close they could get to the spray without getting soaked.
“It’s a beautiful neighborhood and beautiful park,” area resident Kristi Holzer said. Holzer and her husband, Ryan, have two daughters, ages 3 years and 2 months.
“It’s great having the park nearby, but also – and I’m joking when I say this – it’s terrible, because every time we want to leave the house, my older daughter will ask several times, ‘Can we go to the park?’ ” Holzer said, laughing.
Holzer’s family moved to Ankeny from West Des Moines last fall. She appreciates Ankeny’s parks, many of which have equipment to accommodate her children as they grow.
“Ankeny just seems to have more than West Des Moines,” Holzer said, in terms of park amenities and play equipment.
As Prairie Trail continues to expand and develop, Dean Park will be a good meeting place for the increasing number of nearby families and children.
“There’s getting to be a good number of kids in the neighborhood,” said area resident and mother of four Rita Brezina. “It’s also common to meet people who are from other parts of Ankeny. It’s been a good way to meet people (from) all over town.”
Copyright (c) The Des Moines Register. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.