Working closer to playtime

Local News

July 2, 2008

Ronica Shannon The Richmond Register Wed Jul 02, 2008, 08:24 AM EDT

Plans for the Lake Reba Handicap Accessible Playground are progressing and new fundraising events have begun to help fund the project that is expected to cost about $100,000.

The playground has been an evolving idea for the past three years, said Richmond City Manager David Evans.

The Richmond City Commission recently applied for several grants, but has not received any information in response, Evans said.

The playground is something that has been needed in the Richmond area for a long time, said Jon McChesney, Richmond Civitan Club president and associate professor and graduate director for Eastern Kentucky University’s Department of Recreation and Park Administration.

“There’s 10,000 (handicapped) kids in central Kentucky, and in Madison County, there’s about 2,300,” McChesney said. “The playground is going to be fully integrated. We forget too often that there are adults and veterans with disabilities. This is not a playground that excludes able-bodied kids. It lets them play together.”

The Richmond Civitan Club has contributed to the project by hosting several fundraising events in the past, and are planning more in the future.

The playground will be funded by the City of Richmond ($75,000), the Richmond Civitan Club and outside donations. The playground will need a special surface, rather than mulch that is used for most playgrounds. The rubber/mesh material is expected to cost about $40,000, said Erin Moore, assistant director for the Richmond Parks and Recreation Department.

The group will host a “Doggie Wash” from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, at Irvine McDowell Park, and a fundraising drive for park sponsors recently has begun.

The names of sponsors will be included on the park’s sign.

There are four levels of sponsorship, which are tax-free donations:

• Bronze, individual sponsor or “In Memory Of,” $100; church/non-profit, $250; business sponsor, $500;

• Silver, individual sponsor or “In Memory Of,” $250; church/non-profit, $500; business sponsor, $1,000;

• Gold, individual sponsor or “In Memory Of,” $500; church/non-profit, $1,000; business sponsor, $1,500; • Platinum, individual sponsor or “In Memory Of,” $1,000; church/non-profit, $5,000; business sponsor, $7,500.

Checks can be made payable to the Richmond Civitan Club and mailed to: Dr. Jon McChesney, 105 Mildred Court, Richmond, 40475.

Call McChesney at 622-1835 for more information.

Constructing the handicap accessible playground is just one of the steps being taken to provide more park services to Richmond and Madison County residents.

A 15-question survey that is to help the planning of future parks and recreational facilities is now available online at www.parks.richmond.ky.us. or www.richmond.ky.us. A hard copy of the survey can be picked up at the Richmond Parks and Recreation Department located at 321 N. Second St.

The data from this survey will be used to create a Parks & Recreation Master Plan for the city.

The survey’s questions were the result of several different meetings of the Richmond Parks and Recreation Board, the city Parks Board and studying master plans of comparable communities.

More than 400 people already have completed the survey, McChesney said.

There will be a public forum at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 22, at First Christian Church at Lancaster Avenue and West Main Street.

There will be hard copies of the survey available for those who are not comfortable with filling the survey out online.

Another public forum is being planned that will focus more on what senior citizens want out of the city’s parks system, McChesney said. However, a date, time and location have yet to be determined.

All surveys must be completed by July 31.

Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.

Text Only

Local News

‘She wasn’t just a teacher’ : Lambert retires after 43 years at Berea
Scroll to the bottom of the story to read "Love for Lambert: Berea graduates share memories of their teacher," as well as a list of other Berea retirees this year.

Writer’s Note: Brenda Lambert is the reason I write articles today (Class of 2000).

Years ago, a little blonde-haired girl from Rockcastle County gathered her friends to “play school” in a 10-by-10 foot playhouse her father built.
Even at 12 years old, Brenda Lambert knew she wanted to be a teacher one day.
“I always felt like an old person trapped in a young person's body,” said Lambert, who is retiring after 43 years of service to Berea Community School.

May 27, 2012 5 Photos
Special Olympics return for 18th year at EKU
Next weekend, the Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games return to Eastern Kentucky University campus. This is the 18th consecutive year EKU has hosted the event.
The games will be Friday through June 2. About 1,300 athletes will compete this year.

May 27, 2012 1 Photo
Assault charges reduced, dismissed by grand jury
Two men arrested in connection with serious assaults had their charges reduced, and in one case dismissed, by a Madison grand jury.
Jerry Wayne Edington, 34, of Berea Road, was charged Jan. 19 with second-degree assault after an altercation at the Blue Moon bar on East Irvine Street, according to a Richmond police report.

May 27, 2012
Dump of the Day
The Dump of the Day is a recurring series the newspaper publishes to highlight illegal trash piles and push local governments to cite perpetrators and get illegal dumps cleaned up. See Page A7 in Sunday's paper to read a copy of the city’s ordinance related to trash pickup.

May 27, 2012 1 Photo
Paradise Cove open through Labor Day Opening day of Paradise Cove Family Aquatic Center coincided with a spike in temperatures Friday which reached 90 degrees. The facility, located in Richmond’s Lake Reba Park, will be open through Sept. 3. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday.
May 26, 2012
Dump of the Day
An old mattress, a car seat and other debris sit Friday afternoon on North Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets where it was first spotted Thursday. The “Dump of the Day” is a recurring series the Richmond Register publishes to highlight illegal trash piles and push local governments to cite perpetrators and get illegal dumps cleaned up. See Sunday’s Richmond Register to read a copy of the city’s ordinance related to trash pickup.

May 26, 2012 1 Photo
Undefeated academic team brings pride to Madison Middle School
Madison Middle School 6th and 7th grade academic teams have been undefeated for the last two years.
The 8th grade team also has done well, having some students qualify to compete at the state level.

May 26, 2012
Woman fends off burglar with knife
A Berea woman used a kitchen knife to fend off an alleged burglar early Wednesday morning, and police say they were able to catch the man in the act.

May 26, 2012 1 Photo
Man is indicted on additional sex charge involving teen in 1998
A man already accused of sex abuse in November 2011 has been indicted on a charge of first-degree rape involving a child in 1998.
Charles W. Peyton, 63, of East Irvine Street, was indicted Wednesday by a Madison grand jury. He used “forcible compulsion” to have sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl between March 1 and May 1 in 1998, according to the indictment.

May 26, 2012
Woman fends off burglar with knife
A Berea woman used a kitchen knife to fend off an alleged burglar early Wednesday morning, and police say they were able to catch the man in the act.
Officers responded to a call in the 1000 block of Scaffold Cane Road about a man trying to break into a home, according to a release from BPD Public Information Officer Jake Reed.

May 25, 2012 1 Photo
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Working closer to playtime

A recent health ranking listed Madison County as the 20th healthiest county in the state. It measured factors such as exercise, access to health care and smoking. Do you smoke cigarettes?

Site Map