The wood columns at Smolenski Park in Mount Pleasant will get a new coat of stain and the village will be able to add more ADA accessible tables thanks to a $24,792 grant from the Racine Community Foundation.
This is the fifth grant the village has received for the park. Previous monies have provided accessible play equipment for children, shade trees, accessible tables already in place and the ball diamond.
In addition to staining the entire shelter at the park, the grant also covers painting the interior of the men's and women's bathrooms, powerwashing all the concrete surfaces and painting all exterior doors and frames.
The six new accessible tables will be three-seated to allow for a wheelchair and will match the green metal tables already at the park.
"We're really fortunate to receive this grant," said Terri Maier, member of the Parks committee. "Smolenski is our signature park and is a great attraction for families."
Staining the wood columns has been a budget item for the past three years, but because of financial constraints, has consistently been pushed back. Jim Svoboda, joint park manager, said the grant is good timing.
"There's only so much money to go around so being able to use this grant to get the work done at Smolenski really helps," he said. "This is our showcase park, and it's important to keep it up."
All work is expected to complete in Spring 2013.
