Editor:
It was good to see the front page article in the January 29th Courier about Murray Ridge Terrain Park.
It sounds like there has been a lot of work put into what was called Phase I development of the park. Although this is being called Phase I and I am sure there is a great deal of development left to be done, I also feel it is important to acknowledge the support and hard work that was done by people in our community prior to this Phase I implementation.
The original site for a terrain park at Murray Ridge Ski Area has been in place for at least 25 years. Then during a time when Murray Ridge Ski Area was not prospering financially, the seeds of an idea were planted by a 14-year-old in our community to expand what already existed.
What stemmed from that seed was a fundraising campaign through donation cans in local storefronts, hot dog sales and raffles to raise money for the purchase of supplies to construct some shaped rails and a box. In the process of doing this many people and businesses in our community rallied to support this stage of development.
I just want to acknowledge those people from the early years of development and those people presently involved for your hard work and dedication to helping make a dream become a reality. It is always satisfying to see over time how a vision can grow and develop into something that benefits many people, especially young people. It can only get better!
J. Alexander