Historical February 1998 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
After a hiatus, the Playground committee has re-formed and is again working on getting a playground built.
The location is the parking lot next to the Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Center (the lot is owned by the City).
The original committee picked the site, drew up plans, and applied for grants.
They received a grant of $3000 from the Whitaker Foundation.
The project got delayed when there was a change of leadership and the second grant was denied.
This fall, a group of us decided to try to get the ball rolling again. Using the old plans, we worked on updating costs and finding new sources of funding.
We have agreed on the equipment, basic ideas for landscaping, and have contacted several sources for funding.
The next phase of our project is to have construction drawings made and get some bids for the project.
We will be using the Whitaker funds to pay for the construction drawings. Using bids from the construction drawings, we will then be drawing up grant proposals to submit to organizations. Our next meeting, February 18that 7p.m., will be the meeting for drawing up the proposals.
We intend to ask (at least) Gateway Foundation and Washington University.
We would welcome assistance in making the proposals or in locating other sources of funding.
We will also ask the community for support.
In order to demonstrate to grant-givers that the community supports the project and to help get everyone involved and interested we will be asking the community to help support the playground project financially.
It also appears that we have a better chance of getting a challenge grant (matching community money with a grant) than getting a regular grant.
We will need help with planning and executing the fund-raising.
The February meeting will also involve pulling this part of the project together.
If you are interested in helping to write proposals, know of grant sources, would like to help solicit money from the neighborhood, would like to give money, or want to help with some other part of the playground, contact either Laure Porterfield (862-5122) or Katrina Stierholz (863-0965) or come to the February 18th meeting at the Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Center, 7pm.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, February 1998.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1998_02.pdf, printed page(s) 6; PDF page(s) 6.
