Franklin County Conservation, First Bank Hampton team up for new benches at Maynes Grove

The views at Maynes Grove can now be enjoyed on a set of new benches.

The Franklin County Conservation Department earlier this month installed six new benches along the shores at the pond at Maynes Grove.

Ned Parker, Conservation Director, said the former wooden benches on site had begun to splinter and wear and were in need of replacement.

Due to budgetary restrictions, however, Parker said replacing all six benches would not be fiscally feasible.

“We have six old benches and they’re 20-plus years old, so they’re definitely due for replacement,” he said. “They were starting to splinter on the ends and they were getting to be something people didn’t want to use.”

That’s when Bruce Harris, Executive Vice President at First Bank Hampton and Conservation board member, approached Parker with an idea.

“Bruce is on the board and he approached his superiors there and they were excited to help out,” Parker said. “They’ve always been a good partner with us and we were thrilled they were willing to contribute three new benches.”

First Bank covered the cost of three of the benches and the conservation department picked up the tab for the other three.

Harris said that he got the idea because of the increase in park popularity throughout the area since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the cancellation of events and limitations of indoor activities, more families have begun to turn to parks for entertainment. With that, Harris said, comes a need for quality amenities.

“All of our county parks have seen an increase in usage due to the pandemic,” he said. “People are hiking and walking and fishing and I thought it was important to help our parks. Our parks have become a quality of life issue.”

Parker added that something as simple as a new bench goes long ways towards ensuring the parks remain up to date and accessible to people of all ages.

“It shows people that we care about our parks and we’re trying to make improvements,” he said. “Even the minor improvements we make really changes the whole look of the park.”

The benches themselves are made out of recycled plastic, which Parker said, will hold up against frequent use and the wear and tear of weather.

“They’re durable, they look nice and they require no maintenance,” he said.

Now with new benches in place, Parker said the view of the lake has never been better – or more comfortable.

“We tried to place them in places where people are wanting to be,” he said. “In evenings, it’s just really nice to sit and look at the water.”