TOLLEY - A new paving project under way in the tiny hamlet of Mouse River Park is a happy culmination of several years of effort by local residents and businesses to get the project started.
Starting on N.D. Highway 5 at the Tolley corner, three miles of the road leading into and through the sleepy little park will be paved, making life in general easier on visitors and residents alike.
Area resident Donna Weaver said Tuesday that area residents simply love the park so much, they want to see it grow so more people can enjoy it.
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A non-profit organization dedicated to the improvement of Mouse River Park, about 15 miles west of Mohall, has made several improvements to the park in recent years, including a paving project for the road that winds through the park.
In fact, she said, the park has formed the Mouse River Park Association, and its Improvement Committee is an all-volunteer, non-profit committee to better the community.
Weaver said a variety of fundraising events, especially the park's annual Fall Festivals, helped provide the funding for the road project.
"This road is heavily traveled," Weaver said. "It's a school bus route, and it also makes a nice little shortcut for farmers to the grain elevators and Kenmare."
In addition, a $250,000 grant received from the state's special road fund played a major role in the paving project, which began Monday. In addition to the paving project, the park has added a new gazebo, a new playground and has future designs to add a basketball court.
"There are probably not too many roads in North Dakota that are built with private funds," she said with a laugh.
The fifth-annual Fall Festival is scheduled for Labor Day weekend, on Sept. 4. Weaver said proceeds will go toward the park's final commitment to the paving project as well as the new recreation projects for the town.