June 19, 2013
Trinity Eco Prayer Park
Trinity Eco Prayer Park Update
June 19, 2013
PARK DESIGN READY FOR ACTION
FourFront Design has completed the construction drawings that are necessary to apply for a city permit to build Trinity Eco Prayer Park. The detailed plans, which include a shelter mounted with solar panels to generate electricity, made it possible to get a more accurate estimate of the cost to build the park. The revised estimate came in at $401,050.
FOUNDATION BOARD PASSES PARK FUNDING PLAN
Trinity Lutheran Church Endowment Foundation, which owns the property at 4th and St. Joseph streets where the park will be built, approved a two-part plan designed to secure necessary funds to begin park construction. The board has contracted Numad Group to create a fundraising strategy and plan to cover the costs of building the park. Recognizing that it will take time to raise the needed funds, the board also voted to establish a line of credit with Highmark Federal Credit Union that will allow construction to begin before fundraising has been completed.
FUNDING DECISION OPENS DOOR TO START PARK
Having designs in hand and a funding plan in place opened the door for the Foundation to take the next step to build the park. During the summer the Foundation will be working to find qualified contractors to build the park, who might also be willing to donate a portion of their construction costs. If appropriate contractors can be identified and their schedules allow, groundbreaking will take place some time in September.
MATCHING FUND DRIVE BUMPS TOTAL TO NEARLY 33 PERCENT
Since November of 2012 donors have contributed over $10,000 to build Trinity Eco Prayer Park. That money was matched by the Chicago-based Mission Investment Fund (MIF) to bring the total raised for the park to $129,000, which is about one-third of the total needed. The MIF matching grant still has another $15,000 available that it will give to match as the next $15,000 of donations come in. To be eligible for matching funds donations must be received by September 15.
WEED WAR CONTINUES EVERY WEDNESDAY
The good news is it won’t be long now before we start building the park. The bad news is that we will have to fight weeds for another summer. We stopped using chemicals to control weeds in 2009. Since then we have been battling weeds by selective weeding and mowing. That means we identify native plants and let them grow.
A small group of dedicated volunteers help wage the war on the undesirable plants with shovels, mowers and their bare hands. This year we’ll be doing some selective spraying, too. We’ll start by using some organic weed killers donated by Plantsmyth. If that doesn’t work, we may have to sparingly use some chemicals on hearty invasive plants that seem unaffected by digging and mowing. This summer the group will meet every Wednesday at 6:30 pm. Everybody is welcome to join the fun.
MORE INFO?
Thanks for your interest. Contact Ken Steinken with any questions or ideas you have about Trinity Eco Prayer Park or if you know a group that would like to hear a presentation about the park. You can also contact us by sending an email to trinityeco...@gmail.com or calling 605-342-9302.
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