Shellmar Park tree dedication honors vision of John Francis

MOUNT VERNON — For years, former City Councilman John Francis dreamed of having a neighborhood park at the corner of Marion and Madison streets.

“If it’s built, they will come,” he said in 2018.

He was right.

Plans for Shellmar Park moved forward, with the city, community members, civic organizations, and businesses contributing. Park construction began in August 2020.

Now, kids and neighborhood families come to ride bikes, play basketball, and have picnics.

Last Friday afternoon, a small group gathered at the park for a Shellmar Park tree dedication. Francis was among them.

City officials led Francis to a recently planted Bur Oak sapling that will one day reach 80 feet in height.

At the bottom of the tree rested a stone marker with the inscription “Honoring John Francis for service on city council 2012-2023.”

Francis was stunned.

“This means a lot. But it’s not me. It’s my colleagues on council and the city working together in an area that had been neglected. Now they’ve finally got their own park,” Francis said.

“And that’s what’s so exciting. That’s why I’m so emotional. Because it’s not me, it’s every person that comes down here to play.

“Riverside Park raised me as a kid. And now these kids have a place they can go. Because sometimes home isn’t the place to go.”

“It takes a leader to see that vision and share that vision,” Mayor Matt Starr said.

Shellmar Park tree dedication: Realizing a dream

John Brown, chair of the city’s Shade Tree and Beautification Commission, recalled the day he first walked into Shellmar Park.

“It was a mess. We said we’re going to make this into a park and it was like ‘all right,’” he said. “Then when we did our dedication and there were mounds of dirt, it was ‘we’re doing it.’ And now look what we have.”

Brown reminded the group of the anonymous Grecian proverb he has quoted before: “The community prospers when old men plant trees they know they will never sit under.”

“That’s what we do at the Shade Tree Commission,” he said. “We’re going to enjoy it in our lifetime, but it’s our grandchildren and great-grandchildren that are going to enjoy what we’re doing today.”

“Your grand kids will sit in the shade, and they can climb that tree,” Starr told Francis.

City Engineer Brian Ball acknowledged the entities that contributed finances and labor to make Francis’ vision a reality.

“This isn’t just one project. It’s eight projects, and people appreciate it. And it does get used,” he said.

“As we get the factories open, hopefully they’ll come out to enjoy it, too.”

“It was your passion,” Mount Vernon City Council President Bruce Hawkins told Francis.

“It was the suggestion of one person, but it was the work of everyone,” Francis responded.