The Friends of Chimborazo Playground completed the grant process and was selected for a KaBOOM! playground today. The funding partner will be the Home Depot. We’re very grateful to Amy Beem, Home Depot store manager and a Church Hill resident, for recommending us to KaBOOM!

How It Works
KaBOOM is a national nonprofit organization that works with communities and funding partners to build playgrounds. The funding partner covers more than 70% of the project costs. A small portion of playground equipment costs will be paid by the Department of Parks, Recreation and Facilities. The community (that’s us!) provides volunteers, food, and tools for the project. We need as many neighbors as possible to participate, especially parents. Here are the important dates (determined by KaBOOM and the funding partner):

• Design Day – Thursday, July 16, 4 – 8pm – From 4 – 5 pm, kids will get creative and draw pictures of their “dream playground”. We hope to have as many kids there as possible. At 5, parents and other community members will work with the KaBOOM team to turn dream into reality and design the playground, selecting equipment, and discussing side projects, like possible plantings/landscaping, etc. More details on food, location and babysitter help coming soon. Please try to be there if you can!
• Build Day – Wednesday, September 9 - Update: Moved to Thursday, September 10 – Mark your calendars! We need 75 volunteers from the community to help build the playground. Like an old-fashioned barn raising, the playground goes up in one day. Unfortunately, it’s a week day. So plan a vacation day if you’re able, or if you work for VCU, you may be eligible for up to 16 hours of community service time. Thanks to a few folks who’ve already signed up.  If you can be there, let us know.

We also need folks to help in other ways:

• recruit volunteers
• a youth leader – someone who can make thank you signs with kids, and help get kids involved in the project
• tool sleuth – someone who can help us locate and borrow hand tools for build day (no power tools allowed)
• fundraising
• food
• logistics
• public relations
• safety

Please help spread the word and pass on to anyone and everyone who may be interested. See you at Chimborazo!

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The Friends of Chimborazo Playground have submitted a partnership application to KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization that empowers communities to build playgrounds. We’ve been working closely with the Department of Parks, Recreation & Facilities and the Richmond Recreation and Parks Foundation throughout the grant process. We’ve made it to Round 2 in the application process! If we’re fortunate enough to become a KaBOOM! partner, we’ll have the opportunity to design and build our own playground with new equipment. The application process is moving quickly. If we are successful in the bid, here are some upcoming dates to remember:

• July 9 – Design Day, 4pm – All children in the community will have the opportunity to design their “Dream Playground.” Kids will get to draw pictures of what their ideal playground will look like. Afterwards, parents and other community members will meet to turn their pictures into reality. Working the KaBOOM! project manager, we’ll work to design a playground that’s accessible and incorporates as many of the features the kids have requested as possible.
• Sept 10 – Build Day – We need 75 volunteers from our community to help build the playground. It’s like an old-fashioned barn raising, and the play equipment goes up in one day.

We need your help! We need as many volunteers on Build Day, Design Day and on the planning committee as possible. If you’re interested, contact Shawn.

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The Church Hill Association membership voted tonight to fund the Friends of Chimborazo Playground $5,000 to make improvements to the Chimborazo playground and recreational area. Items in the grant request include: two CHAT-built picnic tables; two barbecue stands; a garden shed; a purple martin house; a bat house; and three triangular shade sails. We are grateful to the Church Hill Association for their support!

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The Dept of Parks, Rec & Facilities today said that all capital improvement projects (such as renovations to Chimborazo Park Playground) have been significantly reduced (not entirely cut) from the mayor’s budget (2009-2013). The Dept. of Parks, Recreation & Facilities said they will be operating on a bare-bones budget that will cover only minor facilities maintenance and repair. Obviously, it’s a tough economic environment and everyone is experiencing major cutbacks as the mayor re-prioritizes the city’s needs.

The good news: Some previously appropriated funds remain. We can use these funds for site demolition, regrading, engineering, and very scaled-back renovation. As a community, we need to meet again and decide what we want. There’s still a lot of room for creativity if we all pull together. But we’ll need your help!

How can I help? Attend the next CHA meeting next Tuesday, April 21 at 7pm, at the Asbury Methodist Church, corner of 29th and Marshall. In February, we asked for a CHA grant of $5,485 for

• new picnic tables built by CHAT
• shade sails
• a garden shed
• BBQ stands
• bird/bat houses

It passed, but due to a technicality, the vote was made null and void and must go up for vote again. Because city funding is tight, we need to rely on fundraising and generous grants like this more than ever. So, please attend!  Become a CHA member or renew your membership and make your vote count. It’s an easy way to help improve our neighborhood and get involved.

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We’re pleased to announce that the Church Hill Association voted last night to fund our request for $5,000 to make several improvements to the park, which include

* picnic tables built by CHAT
* shade sails
* barbeque stands
* bird and bat houses
* garden shed

We are grateful for the CHA’s generous support. The motion was amended such that the funds will remain with CHA rather than with Richmond Parks and Recreation Foundation. CHA will pay the invoices as items are purchased. Also, we will have to go through CAR for approval of the design of the garden shed.

We’ll need lots of volunteers to help erect the shade sails and install the other equipment. Hope you can make it to the community park cleanup day in April.

Thanks to everyone for helping in this effort.

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Custom Design Controls rewired and installed 11 new lights at the playground. The generous donation included all labor and materials. In addition, Custom Design Controls lowered one of the basketball backboards to its proper height and hung a new net on an empty backboard. Working with the Dept. of Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities (PRCF), they replaced two damaged poles and installed on-demand lighting near basketball and petanque courts. Not only does this extend playing time on winter evenings, but it has improved safety at the playground — one of our group’s main goals. Many thanks to Custom Design Controls and PCRF for their generous support.

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BAM Architects has revised the Master Plan for the park based on last meeting’s feedback.  This design shows two basketball courts and two tennis courts, but Parks & Rec now recommends just one court each court for these reasons:

One for the cost factor; and two, just three blocks to the north in Ethel Furman Park, there are two of each court there so there is no reason to duplicate what we already have.

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Here are some interesting ideas from other parks around the world. Most of these incorporate the idea of a “natural playground” into their design. Check out the pictures below, plus a gallery of other garden ideas.

A living willow tree woven into a bower:

Banners, handpainted signs and thoughtful design make a park entrance inviting:

This playground incorporates found and reused objects for imaginary play:

Here’s a really cool way to reuse tires and address terrain changes. Plus, no falls:

Water pumps, channels and tables and sand areas encourage experimentation and creativity:

Kids like to play with sound, too.  Pipes, plastic drums, windchimes and other found objects can double as instruments in a “sound scape.”

Lose yourself in a maze:

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The last focus group meeting with the Department of Parks & Recreation and BAM Architects will take place tonight at 6:30 pm at St. John’s Church Parish Hall. BAM will present proposed schematic designs so far and is seeking feedback from the community. Please come and share your thoughts about the park redesign!

At 6pm, the Friends of Chimborazo Playground invites you to a quick membership meeting. Want to see change happen at the park? We can’t do it without you! Stop by tonight and learn how to become a member (it’s free, fun and you’ll meet great people!). The meeting will take place in the same location (St. John’s Parish Hall).

Hope to see you tonight!

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