Park Board Hopes To Honor Late Warder Bremer

The Bourbon Park Board is hoping to honor the late Warder Bremer, who helped secure the property that is now the city park and served as its chairman for decades.

Steve Pasch, the park board’s current chair, suggested the idea on December 18 to the Bourbon City Council.

“Wader was at the forefront of making the deal happen,” said Pasch, adding that Bremer bought the 10-acre property for $7,000. “Had it not been for him and his willingness to make the effort, we may not have property. Someone may have snatched it up.”

Pasch said “it’s worth honoring someone” who dedicated so much time to it.

“I think we can come up with something to dedicate to him,” he said.

Bremer passed away in April 2006. He was survived by his wife Alice, who recalled that the city park was once a vacant field owned by Ted Siebenman. The property was purchased in 1966.

“He dedicated a lot of time to the park,” Bremer said. Together they worked to put together grants, spent hours as a family picking up rocks and spruced it up for public usage.

The park board was established in 1965 and the first board of directors included Warder Bremer as president; George Russell as vice president; Gertrude Kimberlin as secretary; Eugene Johnson as treasurer and George Walka as board member.

The directors were appointed by the city council as the “Bourbon Park Commission.” 

As park board president, Warder Bremer oversaw the purchase of equipment and the construction of pavilions that still stand to this day. The slide at the top of the park was torn down in April 2017 after 40 years of usage, but several pieces remain.

According to the Bourbon History Book, the park board originally hoped to build a swimming pool, but state officials thought there would not be enough acreage for future growth.

The park board and city have been able to expand on what Warder Bremer and the park board began, adding a walking trail, improved lighting, a skate park and new basketball courts. The new courts gave the Bourbon Athletic Association space to run a 3-on-3 basketball league this summer and Bourbon Mayor Danny Skaggs is hoping the city can build a scaled-down version of Sullivan’s splash park.

Sullivan Independent News

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