90% Funding Reached for Playground Project

After a year and a half of fundraising, the Kendall Park Community Group has raised $228,000 to make improvements to the now-30-year-old park.

The original fundraising goal of $500,000 included the permanent groundwork, but the community group decided to hold off on that for five years. Its modified goal without the permanent groundwork is $310,000.

The group requested $48,000 from the Town of Baileys Harbor during an Oct. 5 special meeting to cover mulch, memorial, sidewalks and inflation costs. The board will decide upon that request during its budget hearing, scheduled for Nov. 15.

The remaining donations will go toward buying two remaining pieces of playground equipment. That equipment could be delivered as early as March 2023, with groundwork beginning at that time or before, according to Kari Baumann. She’s the president of the Kendall Park Community Group and the sister to the late Kendall Weisgerber, to whom the park is a memorial.

The park improvements will include replacing wood chips with flat turf, designating a separate area with equipment for younger children, implementing ADA-compliant equipment and installing a larger nucleus with slides and a climbing area. The goal of these improvements is to make the park accessible to children of all ages and abilities, Baumann said.

Although the project doesn’t have a definite completion date, it’s estimated to be done by late June to early August – and Baumann can’t wait to unveil a park that a wider range of children can enjoy.

“I have so much heart and soul in this project, and I am elated,” she said.