Terrace dedicated at BGSU Firelands 
By LAURA LINDSAY
lauralindsay@sanduskyregister.com
Terrace dedicated at BGSU Firelands HURON - After more than a year of planning, the Deering Terrace on Parker Lake has been completed. About 150 people went to the dedication Sunday afternoon, at the James H. McBride Arboretum on the campus of Bowling Green State University , Firelands.
The terrace was dedicated in memory of Dorothy Deering, by her husband, Fred, of Monroeville, who donated funds for its construction.
"This will be here forever and is just a beautiful site," said Neal Leimbach, a horticulturist for Erie MetroParks. "Its design is world class, and because it is constructed out of steel and plastic, it will last for a very long time," he said. "It fits in very well."
"We have followed a master plan for the arboretum since the late 1980s when Deering, a state legislature at the time, urged the state to provide us with Parker Lake as Route 2 was constructed," he said.
"From there we expanded with the bridge, plants and benches." Leimbach said Deering Terrace will be available for weddings.
"This is for students and the public to enjoy," he said. "There are benches all over. Electricity has been run into the terrace, and we will be installing cables so students can work outside on their computers."
"It is a beautiful setting for the community and the school," he said.
Kathy Weilman of Milan, who organized Sunday's event, said the arboretum board always had a vision to develop a deck or terrace over Parker Lake.
"This is a wonderful enhancement to the arboretum, particularly with its aisles over the lake that you can dangle your feet from," she said.
Guests at the dedication were served fresh lemonade along with strawberry and raspberry cakes. Weilman said the project's completion has been well received, and she was pleased with how many people came out to enjoy the dedication.
Among the guests was Margaret McBride, widow of James H. McBride, who, at 90 years old, still maintains part of the gardens at the arboretum.
Daryl Deering, son of Fred and Dorothy Deering, spoke on behalf of his family during the ceremony. The dedication included remarks from Jim Smith, dean of BGSU Firelands ; Peggy Murray on behalf of the McBride Arboretum Board; and Jonathon Granville, director of MetroParks.
Deering Terrace was designed by Daniel Frederick and Tim Roberts of Daniel J. Frederick Architects LLC, Milan, in combined effort with George Poulos and Joshua Fox, Poulos + Schmid Design Group, Inc., Sandusky.
Bob Barnes of Barnes Nursery and Garden Center, in Huron, provided landscaping.
Every part of the construction and design of James H. McBride Arboretum was completed with donations, Leimbach said. About $500,000 in materials and project labor was received for Deering Terrace on Parker Lake.
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