Jessica Stölen
Editor
jstolen-jacobson@cherryroad.com
With Phase One of the Granite Falls Area Community Foundation’s Project IMPACT completion, the non-profit organization has been working to raise funds for Phase Two of the project to improve Rice Park.
Phase One, the construction of a large, state-of-the-art ADA compliant playground, was completed last summer, and is part of a long term plan to improve what the foundation identified as an underutilized park in the community. The foundation raised nearly $500,000 in funds to complete the project after receiving a gift of $200,000 from the Bush Family Foundation, and conducting meetings and events to survey the community regarding how to use those funds. Part of the requirement for fund spending was to create a long-term vision for the park. Future plans could include a flower or sculpture garden, an amphitheater or concert/event use structure and more. In Phase Two, the foundation has raised funds in order to construct sidewalks leading from the main sidewalk to the playground area, angled to make the approach to the park more accessible from the street.
Part of those fundraising efforts included a burger feed hosted by the Granite Falls Lions Club. The sidewalks will be installed within the next month and will match the existing concrete work that surrounds the playground.
The Granite Falls Area Community Foundation does have a separate fund specifically for Rice Park improvements that can be donated to at any time for additional phases of the project.
Rice Park’s Phase One project has brought more activity to the park than it has seen in years. “It’s amazing to see how well received this was,” says Community Foundation member Lisa Streich. “All winter long I don’t think there was a month where this place wasn’t used. It’s been fun to see the different birthday parties and events going on here and even the school busses from Hutchinson one day.” The playground at Rice Park is only one of eight fully ADA compliant parks in the state.
The City of Granite Falls is currently in the process of working to collect bids for construction of a bathroom at the park that they hope to see completed next spring.
The Granite Falls Area Community Foundation is operated by a group of volunteers who work to improve the community through funds received in donations throughout the year. The group also provides funds for local organizations and individuals working to improve the community at their annual awards banquet held late fall. The application period opens in late August for grants for this year. For more information about the Granite Falls Area Community Foundation, visit the website at granitefallsfoundation.org.
