Several years ago, two friends, Joy Davis and Angie Greenwood, discussed the need to improve the condition of 5th Street Playground Park, in Junction City, Kansas.
Early in the summer of 2016 they got serious about doing just that. Angie had the opportunity to share their dream with Theresa Bramlage and, Theresa and the Bramlage Foundation was very interested in the project and offered her help in formulating preliminary plans. The committee was established in October 2016 and they became known as “Quality Play for All”.
Soon thereafter, they met with Ed Lazear, the Director of Junction City Parks and Recreation Department, and he gave his full support and encouraged them to move forward with the projected idea for new playground equipment for the 5th Street Playground Park. The committee soon expanded and included Mary Cay Stauffer, a knowledgeable grant writer, and Kendall Schoenrock, who created their survey structure and manages, social media presence, and has been instrumental with all aspects of the architectural plans and implementation of the fabulous project.
In May of 2017, the park renovation plan was presented to the Junction City Commission and received the approval and permission of the Commissioners to move forward and apply for the Kansas Department of Commerce CDBG grant to fund the project. We also hired a professional grant writer, Deb Ohlde. With the assistance of many community volunteers, we completed a required random city -wide survey of over 585 residents, which was an important requirement for the CDBG grant application. In October 2017, we completed the survey requirement and submitted our results to the Kansas Department of Commerce. On January 22, 2018 we were selected to receive the State of Kansas CDBG grant in the amount of $188,244.00.
Our goal is to improve the quality and safety of the playground parks in the Junction City community while strengthening the quality of life for all families in our community. We want to create a “showcase park” in Junction City with Playground Park that will be a draw for all in our community as well as surrounding communities.
In order to receive the grant, we also need to raise the matching funds. Additionally, we need to raise funds and in-kind contributions to cover many of the costs not covered by the grant, such as sidewalks, trash containers and benches. In our 3 to 5 year plans we also envision a sprinkler system, landscaping, new sand volleyball courts, a basketball court, an event pavilion, and the renovation of current restroom facilities.
We are very passionate about our project and we need the support of the men and women in the community like you to help us make a difference in the lives of the children and their families in Junction City and the surrounding areas for years to come.