New Shreve mayor planning park improvement

Josiah Martin wears many hats. He’s president of a marketing and media company, a pastor, and he’s about to add mayor of Shreve to that list. He will take over that role after the first of the year.

Then Martin will look to add park rescuer to the list.

“One of the things we’ve already started to go after — I have all the paperwork turned in, and it looks like we’ll be able to secure the funding — a half-million, roughly, dollars for a complete revamp of the Harold G. Miller Park,” Martin said.

The park was decimated a dozen years ago or so by floodwaters and has not been in good condition lately. Martin said the entire park needs a complete overhaul.

The park doesn’t show up on Google Maps, which is a testament to its condition.

“It’s kind of an empty field,” Martin said. “There’s remnants of a ball field, but there’s not even really a ball field there. The pavilion needs to be rebuilt. It really doesn’t suit for much right now. The walking path is dilapidated. Once upon a time back in the heyday, it was a gathering spot. The condition of the park right now is it’s just about unusable.”

Martin wants to change that, not just to have a new and improved park, but also so it can serve as a sort of beacon of hope for the community, a symbol of chance, improvement and moving forward.

In its present state, Martin said the park is making a different kind of statement, one no community would want.

“The sentiment is that Shreve is kind of a dying or dwindling community,” he said.

If things go as planned, the improved park will feature pickleball courts, a new pavilion, a redone walking track, a story walk, restrooms and electricity. Martin pictures the park as an area for events, both for broader use among Wayne County residents and for citizens of Shreve.

He wants the park to bring the community together for events like car shows, a home and garden show, and other events. Martin said no events are finalized for 2024, but smaller events will be easier to pull off with short notice.

Refurbishing the park is chief among things on Martin’s agenda as he takes over. Others are a sort of overhaul — on a smaller scale — of the community in general.

“Shreve is, from my understanding, the only (Wayne County) community classified as lower to middle income,” he said. “Traditionally, we are in need financially. One thing we’re hoping to be able to do is leverage funding we can get for the people of Shreve. There’s been a lot of division across the entire country, and I think there’s something special about small-town America. We have a lot of opportunities to know our neighbors.”

The population of the village has shrunk by 5% over two decades. That’s something outsiders see in a less-than-flattering light.

“It’s a place where they had a bit of a negative outlook for Shreve,” Martin said. “Not only are we not dying, but we’re going to be a growing and thriving community, and we want to show everybody that.”