20080414 A History and overview of The David S. Babylon Jr. Community Building project

Westminster Mayor and Common Council
P.O. Box 710, 1838 Emerald Hill Lane,
Westminster, Maryland 21158-0710
410-848-9000

Westminster Fallfest, Inc.,
P.O.B. 805, Westminster, Maryland, 21158 (410) 848-9000

“Paving the Road to a Better Community”

A History and overview of The David S. Babylon Jr. Community Building project: “Look what we started.”

If you’d like to contribute, checks can be made out to:

Westminster Fallfest “Paving the Road,”
Westminster Fallfest, Inc.,
P.O.B. 805, Westminster, Maryland, 21158
(410) 848-9000

Monday, April 14th, 2008

For more information please contact Westminster Mayor Tom Ferguson at (410) 8488-2522 or Westminster Director of Parks Ron Schroers at (410) 848-9000 or e-mail him at rshroers@westminsterfallfest.com

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At the sixth annual Fallfest Gala, the Westminster mayor and Common Council, Westminster Fallfest, Inc., and the Westminster Recreation and Parks Advisory Board kicked off a capital campaign to replace the Westminster Municipal Playground concession stand with a new two-story multi-purpose community building.

At the event held last Saturday at Martin’s Westminster, Evelyn and Caroline Babylon represented the family of the late former Westminster Common Council president David S. Babylon, Jr., and presented the Fallfest Paving the Road to a Better Community Committee with a pledge of $50,000 in his memory, to get the capital campaign off to a good start.

The gift to the city of Westminster is in honor of Mr. Babylon who dedicated his life to public service for the community he loved.

Mr. Babylon’s daughter, Caroline announced the memorial gift on behalf of the family and turned the podium over to her Mom, Evelyn Babylon.

Mrs. Babylon, remarked: “The last night of the last family vacation in which David was able to participate, the whole family was sitting at the long dinner table – about 20 of us – and Dave nudged me with his elbow, and, gesturing with his other hand, said, ‘Look what we started!’ It was, indeed, a scene of joyful conviviality.

“The family joins me in believing that David would be proud to be here [he loved parties like this] and add his voice of approval to the kick-off of this campaign. We think he would nudge each of you to join in this endeavor so that we could soon all say, ‘Look what we started!’”

Mr. Babylon began a lifelong love affair of service to our community when he joined the Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Company #1 on June 1st, 1949. Serving in the fire department was another of the passions in his life. He served for many years as secretary/treasurer. He had fond memories of the Westminster Volunteer Fire Company’s annual summer carnivals which were held at the playground.

Mr. Babylon was born on September 4, 1923 in Westminster, and when he was a child, the city did not have a playground. The Westminster Municipal Playground was not inaugurated until 1936 and dedicated by the Westminster Mayor George E. Matthews, Council President Joseph L. Mathias, councilmembers Walter H. Davis, Edwin S. Gehr, Jesse C. Royer, and City Attorney D. Eugene Walsh, in 1937.

By the time the playground was in use, Mr. Babylon was attending Valley Forge Military Academy. He graduated from Valley Forge in 1941 and was one of the youngest Captains commissioned in the U. S. Army during World War II.

When Mr. Babylon was young, providing recreational opportunities was a hot-button political topic as was exemplified by an editorial in the Democratic Advocate, on April 7, 1922, “Westminster, and the Recreation Problem.”

The lack of a municipal playground while growing up in Westminster only exacerbated his understanding later, during his public career, of providing community recreation opportunities.

After Mr. Babylon served in World War II, he graduated from Gettysburg College in January 1948 with a BA degree in Economics. He continued in a business, Cunocar Bookkeeping Service, which he had begun in his college years. Many in Westminster have fond memories of Mr. Babylon’s green “office-on-wheels,” in which he would travel from business to business. He sold his business and retired in 1986.

Mr. Babylon, who passed away at age 82 at his home on August 22, 2006, served on the Westminster Common Council for 25 years, from 1964 until he retired in 1989. For 16 of those years, he served as the Common Council President as did his grandfather, F. Thomas Babylon, in 1898 and 1899.

In the mid to late 1970s, the Westminster mayor and Common Council worked hard in a major downtown revitalization effort of Westminster’s business district. To celebrate the successes of that effort, Fallfest was born in 1978.

Mr. Babylon was an enthusiastic supporter of Fallfest. In her remarks last Saturday night Mrs. Babylon noted “Dave was an enthusiastic member of the Common Council when the idea of Fallfest was introduced, and he wholeheartedly backed the idea. Indeed, even when he was not fully mobile, he acquiesced to going down to the celebration in a wheelchair – and fully enjoyed it, of course.”

Westminster Mayor Tom Ferguson has fond memories of the Westminster Playground as a kid growing up in Westminster. He remembers that “my brother and I were among the first to play Little League Baseball (there when the baseball program started) in the 1950s… Along with folks such as Bob and Jim Reck, Art Caples, Pinky Bixler, and Butch Martin.”

“This is another classic example of a successful private –public partnership to what is already a gem in Westminster. If I may say so, I am very appreciative of this generous - magnificent gift from the Babylon family - especially in light of Mr. Babylon’s years of service to the community. He was always so much involved in civic projects and improvements. This will certainly attract other donors to step up to the plate to get it done.”

Doing it right has been an overriding theme of the City. Westminster director of recreation and parks, Ron Schroers, noted that the City has been on a continuous improvement program for the Westminster Playground for the past 15 years. “By using grants and private donations we’ve built pavilions, replaced playground equipment, re-done the basketball and tennis courts…”

“It’s really great to see the community to come together to make this city project happen. This is one of the most heavily used parks in Carroll County… (One of the reasons, besides the facilities is because) it is the best-shaded park…”

Carroll County owns 24 parks in the county and the City of Westminster has eight.

Mr. Schroers noted that in addition to the Babylon family gift, $66,000 has already been obtained for the building from a combination of Carroll County’s and Westminster’s “Program Open Space” state grant.

He hopes to begin construction of the new building after the 30th Fallfest takes place this September. Cost estimates are currently being developed, however preliminary indication is that more money is needed and the City and the Fallfest Committee are currently looking for additional donors of materials, money and in-kind work donations.

The project began in the summer of 2006 according to the Program Open Space grant proposal. At that time:

“The Westminster Mayor and Common Council determined that the existing concession stand needed to be replaced. The 1 story building has a leaky roof, rotten wood siding, no environmental controls, and is a general eyesore.”

“After studying the cost of repairing the existing building, it was determined to be more cost effective to raze the current building … and build a new structure.” (Before the building falls down.)

“The expanded facility will be available for many community groups for a variety of uses. What was formerly only a concession stand and sports equipment storage, will now also have available a multi-purpose meeting facility.

The second story will be made available as offices/workspace for Westminster Fallfest … which is partnering in the building … by securing additional funding, donations of money, materials, and volunteers. This project continues the City’s investment … to make it the best and most heavily used recreation facility in Westminster…”

Andy Biller is in his 18th year serving on the Westminster Recreation and Parks Advisory Board. He currently serves as the chair.

Mr. Biller said, “I grew up in Carroll County and as a youngster I spent a lot of time in town and learned to appreciate the Westminster Playground as one of Carroll County’s true community treasures. The park has always been the shining moment in the City. I’m proud to be a part of yet another historic improvement for our community.”

Mr. Biller has been “impressed with how hard Westminster Council President Roy Chiavacci has worked on constantly improving not only the playground but all of Westminster’s recreation opportunities.”

Mr. Biller was in a meeting recently with President Chiavacci to review the capital campaign and building plans. President Chiavacci is said to have exclaimed, this is “awesome.”

Once the building is constructed the Optimist Club “is going to have our meetings there and use it to support the clubs’ youth activities in the community,” said Darlene Dorsey, the president of Optimist Club of Westminster.

The Optimist Club has “been around for about 50 years. We took over the Little League program years ago from the Civitan Club. Boy, am I excited. I saw the plans the other day when I visited with Ron Schroers… We love the playground improvements. I remember the wooden bleachers and they have been replaced with nice new metal bleachers… (The building plans have) exceeded our expectations. We’re looking forward to it; the present building is an eyesore.”

The Westminster director of public works, Jeff Glass, is also looking forward to the project. After all, it is his responsibility to keep failing buildings such as this useful and safe.

When he heard about the new playground community building, he said that he “fully understands and values the need to expand” the city’s public works and recreation infrastructure.

Mr. Glass, who “began working for the City in 1982 and worked with Mr. Babylon for a number of years when he was the Council President and I was a student of his thinking process… This is exactly the way Mr. Babylon would have wanted it done. Don’t just replace it – prepare for the future.
Take the opportunity to stretch a dollar further and leverage the tax dollars to build what the community needs for the future while the building is being replaced…”

Mr. Glass went on to recall how “Mr. Babylon was known for being fiscally conservative when he was on the council,” and always encouraged the private sector to step up to the plate for needed infrastructure improvements before he turned to taxpayers...

Tom Beyard, the City’s director of planning agreed. He has also worked for the City long enough to have worked with Mr. Babylon. “It’s always a great idea when the public section and the philanthropists can get together for the community.”

Carroll County Commissioner Dean Minnich also knew Mr. Babylon well; they were in the Lions Club together. He recalled that in past years, “the roots of Carroll County recreation were the service clubs.”

He remembers that “it was the Civitan Club that started the Little League program at the playground back in the 1950s… Drs. Klinger Jr. and Senior… (And) the business community took care of the tasks long before government got involved… A bunch of young fathers got involved to make sure softball, soccer, and baseball (were available.) Those guys used to go out on their own time and rake, mow, lime the fields, pick up rocks…”

Westminster Councilwoman Suzanne Albert, (the granddaughter of Westminster Mayor David E. Walsh May 20, 1912 – May 15, 1916,) grew up at 134 East Main Street in Westminster.

She said that “growing up (the playground) was my backyard... Nothing like having your own playground practically in your backyard. I could walk to it. I guess I took it for granted. I just thought that every community had a playground like that. (Nevertheless) we can’t take it for granted and we need to take care of it for future generations. It’s important to sustain such an important community asset.”

Mrs. Evelyn Babylon reiterated, “It is important that we continue to build upon the work of those who went before us and maintain and improve the park for our children’s children. That’s the way Dave would have wanted it.”

Councilwoman Albert, who knew Mr. Babylon well, said the community is thankful for what Mr. and Mrs. Babylon have started – and not just the playground…

If you’d like to contribute, checks can be made out to:

Westminster Fallfest “Paving the Road,”
Westminster Fallfest, Inc.,
P.O.B. 805, Westminster, Maryland, 21158
(410) 848-9000

20080414 A History and overview of The David S. Babylon Jr. Community Building project