Freeborn marks 50 years managing Meadowbrook

Dick Freeborn is celebrating his 50th year as a manager of Meadowbrook Park, Bascom. But the 80-year-old has no plans to retire from the work he finds satisfying. He said the people he has worked with, including his children and this year a granddaughter, as well as the campers, community members and the students he used to teach in school have made the job so enjoyable he hardly believes that much time has passed. "I started as the night and weekend guy," Freeborn said. That was in spring 1971. Jim Haugh was park manager at the time, and he and Freeborn both taught school in Gibsonburg. The topic of Meadowbrook Park came up in conversation, and Freeborn said he remembered visiting the Crystal Pool as a child. A few months later, Haugh asked if he'd consider helping out at the park with the pool and the campground during the summer because he needed to spend more time at home to maintain marital harmony. "I came over and tried it out," he said. "And I've been here 50 years." Freeborn entered the picture around the same time a state law was passed that allowed ownership of the park to be transferred to Hopewell Township. There were several years when the park was governed by a park board of trustees because of difficulties concerning the will of late owner Garfield Haugh. Specifically, Haugh bequeathed the park to the Bascom community, but the town was not incorporated so did not have a town council or governing body to handle park administration. Probate court had set up a board of trustees for the park, but it was determined the township trustees would take it over as long as the park did not create a financial burden on the township. He then worked with Wayne Hoover, who managed the park for the township trustees, and then with Steve Breidenbach. Then 30-some years ago Troy Breidenbach followed his father into the manager job and he and Freeborn have been managers ever since. Early in his career, Freeborn said the park's amusement rides from the past were phased out due to maintenance costs and issues, and the park had to find ways of supporting itself. The park took a turn toward becoming the community park and campground it is today. "Baseball diamonds, tennis courts and basketball have replaced the Lindy Loop, train and merry-go-round," says the park's website history. There are roller hockey courts, sand volleyball, a softball diamond, a giant chess and/or checker board and a horseshoe court as well as an 18-hole disc golf course that winds its way within the other park features. Freeborn takes pride in the grant money and donations he's been instrumental in drawing to the 130-acre park so the swimming pool, ballroom, games and athletic fields, playground and nine picnic shelters are maintained for the use of campers, visitors and community members. Some of those grants have been community block grants, NatureWorks grants and grants through the solid waste district. Some of them have created shelters made from recycled materials, enabled the playground to be constructed and many other projects. During the 1980s and 1990s, Freeborn said the park received $1 million in grants and raised $1 million in matching funds to pay for maintenance needs through Friends of Meadowbrook Park from individuals and organizations. "The first big grant we had was money for the pool," Freeborn said. The swimming pool was refurbished and rededicated in 1980. The quarter-acre pool originally opened in 1930. In addition, Freeborn he said he's been successful in getting three or four grants for restoration of the Redwood Ballroom, which was built in 1933 and opened in 1934. After 60 years, the historical building was in need of some updates. The first ballroom project was refinishing the floor in 1995, he said. And then the restrooms were remodeled in 1996. Next, he said the windows were replaced with double-paned glass so they would open without falling apart, and the roof was insulated and replaced — both in 1996 and 1997. "When we did the roof, we didn't want to destroy the inside so we put our insulation on top of the roof and built the new roof on top of that," Freeborn said. The innovative roof work preserved the history of the wooden ceiling and arches inside. Next on the list of ballroom maintenance was replacement of the steam boilers, which had been designed for use on a ship and had been heating the ballroom since it was built in 1933. A local architect and craftsman designed a system for replacing the boilers with a forced-air natural gas heating system without damaging the "promenade" circle inside. The final touch on the ballroom was replacing the chandeliers in 2002, and the renovations also included the addition of a historical display of park history and artifacts. Another set of upgrades that have happened during Freeborn's tenure have been four campground expansions between 1992 and 2008. The original campground is the loop near the swimming pool. From there, the number of camp spaces was expanded east to the park's property line. A second expansion was a further extension of the eastern portion, and the fourth addition moved west to add spaces at the opposite end of the park grounds. Today, Meadowbrook has 216 camping spaces — 160 for season-long residents and 56 for overnight and weekend guests. "We've got some that's been here for 30 summers," Freeborn said. And there's a lengthy waiting list for snagging any spot that becomes available. Seasonal campers travel from locations such as Toledo and Michigan, and he said there a several "snow birds" who live in Florida in winter and at Meadowbrook in summer. All the work and projects take about 20 seasonal employees every summer, and many community people have spent some time working at the Meadowbrook - mowing grass, serving as pool lifeguards and doing other tasks. The now-adult children of Freeborn and Breidenbach were among those workers, and both men said the park has been a great place for their children to grow up. This summer, Freeborn's granddaughter, Mckenna Freeborn, worked as a lifeguard. "My kids and now my grandkids," he said. "Can you believe that?" Of course, he said he also finds it hard to believe he's 80 years old. At the same time as he was working at Meadowbrook, Freeborn was a school teacher and then a school superintendent until he retired after "30-some" years. And then he went back to help out in schools a time or two after he retired, he said. In addition, he served four years in the U.S. Air Force, and since then has served in the Air National Guard, mainly helping young people in the area attend the Air Force Academy. Of course, the students he had in school grew up and some of them began to operate businesses. He said some of those students are always ready to offer quotes on park projects and get them finished at a good price. "If there's a project we want to do, they'll help us get it done," he said. "I feel very good about the kids I've had in school that you can count on later in life to help you do things. "It gives you a good feeling to know people you've worked with are willing to come and help get the job done," he said. The same can be said for the Bascom community, he said. "That's what I really like about working here," he said. "The Bascom community really appreciates what you do and helps you do it better." He said the community supports the park and uses the park for events such as the annual Firefighters Festival. "It really makes you feel good they want to keep doing it at the park," he said. "Everybody helps each other here. You can count on people. "They all take pride in the place," he said. "That makes you want to keep it up even better and do new projects." The support and friendships are important to him. "I wouldn't be out here this long if it wasn't for the people that help you," he said. "It makes you feel like getting things done, and they try to help you do more. That's been really good." Freeborn said he has no plans to retire. "I plan to stay around until I can't remember where I'm at," he said.