Pavilion dedicated at Johnson Park

DECATUR -- Since the opening of Royce Johnson Memorial Park Oct. 22, 2013, it continues to grow by leaps and bounds. It now has a swing set, tether ball set, sand box with digger, and a picnic table, all paid for with private donations.

Now, less than a year later, Johnson Park has a new pavilion, thanks to the generosity of Royce Johnson's brother Duane and the Clorox Company Foundation Gift Campaign.

Decatur Mayor Charles Linam approached Duane Johnson with the pavilion project a few months after the parks' dedication. Johnson agreed to fund the project using donations he accumulated through his company's foundation.

The Clorox Company Foundation Gift Campaign was set up to allow employees to withhold a specified amount from their pay checks to go into a charitable contribution account. Once the employee has decided to what charity and the amount they wish to give, Clorox withdraws that amount and matches it dollar for dollar. Once the city received the donation from Johnson and the Clorox Company, it was construction time.

The foundation was poured for the new 20-by-20-foot pavilion on Sept. 27, with the trusses and roof completed on Sept. 25. In all, it took three days to complete.

With construction completed, Linam organized a formal dedication ceremony for the structure on Sept. 29. In addition to Royce Johnson's family, including brother Duane, several local dignitaries from the city, chamber of commerce and school district attended the ceremony.

Six members of the Decatur High School band, under the direction of Kristin Wages, played several selections including the National Anthem. Members of the sextet included Sammy Skaggs on flute, Mattie Ramsey on clarinet, Ger Vang on alto saxophone, Kristin Wages on coronet, Austin Hamilton on trombone and Tim Skaggs on sousaphone (tuba). They became the first group to perform at Johnson Park.

The ceremony concluded with the unveiling of a plaque recognizing Duane Johnson and the Clorox Foundation's contribution to the construction of the new pavilion.

From the beginning, the land and all the equipment in Johnson Park has been paid for by grants from the state or private contributions from friends of the Johnson family.

"The pavilion and every piece of play equipment in the park was paid for with donations," Linam said. "It amounts to over $4,000."

The city plans on adding a new teeter-totter, a barbecue grill and two new picnic tables in the coming months.