Longtime Frankfort resident Judy Herder cared so much about the safety of children, she spearheaded efforts to build them a fort. While its walls won’t keep invaders out, the Fort Frankfort playground has become a destination for area families looking for a fun and safe place to spend outdoor afternoons. It was one of her many achievements.
“She worked for Frankfort projects for probably 35 or 40 years,” said John Herder, Judy’s husband.
It’s an example of Herder’s passion and commitment to Frankfort-area parks, said Phil Simmons, president of the non-profit Operation Playground Foundation —a group Herder helped to found in 1999 to fund park district projects.
Judy Herder died unexpectedly last December, just three weeks after being diagnosed with stage four cancer that had spread throughout her body, her husband said.
“When Judy passed away last December, it was sort of like the whole town felt terrible,” Simmons said. “We lost a huge contributor to our whole community. Judy was so dear to us and helped in so many ways on all these projects.”
And so Judy Herder’s former foundation is embarking on a mission to honor her with a project they believe would have been close to her heart. To provide a place for kids to skateboard and roller blade away from traffic, the Frankfort Park District intends to purchase a pumptrack in honor of Herder.
In recent years, Simmons said, Judy Herder and others wanted to create a BMX bike park. But it never materialized, largely do to the size and cost, said Gina Hassett, Frankfort Park District executive director.
The pumptrack, which will be named “Judy Herder Memorial Pumptrack,” will serve many of the same needs, while being more manageable, she said. It is a modular unit with a footprint of 54 feet by 54 feet, she said. It will be located at the corner of Nebraska Street and Luther Lane, with easy access to Old Plank Trail, she said.
“If for some reason, it were not a success there, we could have the option to move it,” Hassett said. “It’s not a permanent structure.”
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Made of composite materials, it will wind around a 215-foot course, according to a district release. It noted Judy Herder had concerns about children riding their bikes, scooters, skateboards and roller blades near traffic.
“I know she was very passionate about that particular initiative,” John Herder said. “She said ‘you know, they’ve got to build a park where those kids can go.'”
The cost of the project is expected to be $55,000. A community meeting on the project is set for 7 p.m. March 8 at Founders Community Center, 140 Oak St., to discuss the project and fundraisers.
Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.