Hernando’s Conger Park Additions

Fun for All

Exploring the newest additions to Conger Park, Hernando’s premiere outdoor recreation area.

For the citizens of DeSoto County, Conger Park represents more than just a place to play. In late 2019, the community came together to make the playground at Conger Park sturdier, more accessible and newly revitalized as part of a rain-soaked rebuild effort held from October 24 to 27.

About 75 people showed up to help rebuild and refurbish the entire park over the course of three days, including the Board of Aldermen of the City of Hernando, the Hernando High School girls basketball team, members of the LOVE Fire Department and Mayor Tom Ferguson himself. The Maddox Foundation played a significant role in both the founding and rebuild effort, leading the fundraising charge by matching donations from community efforts and spending an additional 30 days on site to finish the renovations. “This project we’ve been working on for the last few months with Robin Hurdle accounts for some of the biggest changes to the playground since we first built it in 2001,” said Dewayne Williams, Parks Director with the City of Hernando.

Conger Park was established in the 1980s with the donation of a large chunk of property at 135 West Oak Grove Road.

“The community came together and built the playground from the ground up over a long five-day weekend,” said Lanier Hurdle, Board Member with the Maddox Foundation. ““In addition to the Community Challenge Match Grant, The Maddox Foundation and its Board and staff spent

about $25,000 to purchase naming rights toward park elements like engraved pickets and other signage.”

Today, Conger Park is widely known as Hernando’s largest park and features three pavilions, restrooms, two tennis courts, and a pair of walking trails. Much of its development is credited to members of the Maddox Foundation.

“In 2001, Robin Hurdle with the Maddox Foundation saw a project that Leathers & Associates did in Nashville and figured something similar could happen in Hernando,” said Williams. “Leathers & Associates played a part as far as offering guidance and leadership for the project, but the community had the biggest hand in its development.”

Nearly 20 years later, most of the original structures at Conger Park retained their integrity, albeit slightly faded and chipped in some areas. However, typical playgrounds are built to last about 15 years and require regular maintenance.

“It’s done pretty good, but it was definitely time for a facelift,” Williams said.

The rebuild effort was paid for through donations from families, charitable drives in the schools, and a matching grant from Maddox Foundation. The City of Hernando pledged $20,000 to the effort, and the Hernando Walmart Supercenter donated $4,000 toward Conger Park renovation project in Novemberof 2019, which were both matched by the Maddox Foundation. Other community sources donated around $36,000 for a total of $85,000 raised in 2019. The Maddox Foundation matched that $85,000for a total of $170,000.

“All total, the Maddox Foundation contributed $113,500 toward the new park, and over 6,000 hours of work over 34 days,” said Robin Hurdle,President of the Maddox Foundation. Lanier credits the work of the Maddox Foundation staff and Robin, as well as fellow board member Carol Ayers for devoting time to things like replacing posts and repainting wood structures alongside members of the community.

“We not only refurbished it, but we added new elements,” said Lanier Hurdle, Board Member with the Maddox Foundation. “It’s not only renovated, it’s upgraded.”

New additions to Conger Park’s playground include a handicap-accessible boat for children to play on and a replica of Hernando’s iconic water tower. The construction of the boat was meant to honor Dewayne Williams’ disabled son, Cailan, who died in July of 2018.

“When Robin heard about what happened to my son and when he passed, she was also putting together the plan for this inclusive area of the playground,” said Williams. “There was a time when children with disabilities would be separated from other children during playtime. Now, just like how school classrooms are inclusive, the goal is to allow children to experience things together. That’s huge.”

Williams, who has been Director of Parks and Recreation with the City of Hernando since 2006, is well aware of the importance of public parks to the community.

“We know that parks in general are capable of raising the property value within a one-mile radius of a park,” Williams said. “While property value is important, parks are places where families can come together and enjoy each other’s company. Parks also promote places of free, unstructured play.”

Conger Park is one of 10 parks in Hernando that range from specialized places of play like the skateboarder’s paradise known as Pidgeon Park, to all-purpose areas like Bouchillon Park off Green T Boulevard. In addition, Renasant Park, which is located just south of Conger Park across the highway from Tegra Medical, features the city’s only dog park.

“Conger Park has become a signature playground for the community,” Robin said. “And hopefully we won’t need to rebuild it for at least another 20 years.”