Cecil Maxwell (who happens to be the former mayor of Cardington) and Don discussed the state environmental priorities for stream corridor protection and Cecil's interest in shaping the future of the village. These conversations occurred over several years and were crucial to Cecil's decision to donate his property to the Village of Cardington. As Don puts it, the process leading up to the creation of the park has "not been fast but instead a steady direction where pieces just started fitting."

According to Don, the creation of the Park would not have been possible without an "outsider" to bring a new perspective to the Village. That outsider was Dan Ralley, Village Administrator. Dan brought his experiences with the downside of unplanned streamside development from his work in local government in Columbus. Dan also brought to the job a good sense of the up and coming needs for recreation by Village residents. He meshed these previous experiences with his ability to lead the village council to change. Dan made sure Don attended local watershed meetings in his work with the water plant and sponsored a series of planning meetings that also helped to inspire the creation of Maxwell Park.