JAMESTOWN – A $150,000 grant to create a playground in Chadakoin Park has been approved and now comes the unique and fun part. Jamestown’s children get a say in the park’s design.
The park will start out as youth design’s on paper and eventually become a reality, thanks in part to the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and KaBOOM!. The partners recently awarded the City of Jamestown with a “Build it with KaBOOM!” playground grant, which was funded by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation through its Built to Play Initiative.
Interested youngsters and would-be architects are asked to attend a design meeting from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at Samuel G. Love Elementary School on East Eighth Street. Elements from the drawings will be incorporated into the design. The community will choose the final design and help build the playground Aug. 25 at Chadakoin Park.
A community volunteer planning meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Love Elementary School.
In 1997, a community group raised the funds and brought together volunteers to build the current playground at Chadakoin Park. With that playground structure reaching the end of its life, the community group came together again over the last few years to start raising funds to replace that structure. This is a park heavily used by the neighborhood for family events, a gospel festival, Juneteenth Festivals and other gatherings.
Also, a bike path located on the west border of Chadakoin Park that’s part of the Greater Jamestown Riverwalk will open this summer and provide a link to the new playground for even more residents and visitors.
City Councilwoman Victoria James said the city recently applied for a $150,000 grant from KaBoom.
“We had a ninety minute interview with them (KaBoom) a few weeks ago and everything looks good,” said James.
The city will have to supply $10,000 towards the project. James reports her group has already raised $8,000 and looks forward to bringing in the next $2,000 through fundraisers in the next few months.
“We’ll be out there selling hot dogs trying to get that last push of funding,” said James.
“We will need 300 volunteers that day to build it,” said James. “That’s what we did twenty years ago with the first playground at Chadakoin Park.”