Thursday, Sept. 26

 

Local volunteers and contributions transform Scully Park playground

[SEPT. 26, 2002]  Several years ago, when Wallace Reese was a Main Street Lincoln member, he took a hard look at the playground equipment at Scully Park. He saw out-of-date and maybe even dangerous swings and slides, and he didn’t see anything that could be used by children with disabilities.

Main Street Lincoln had restored the park’s fountain, created a new entrance archway and planted many flower beds, but the old playground equipment was still there.

"I thought, ‘This is a beautiful park, but there’s no place for kids to play,’" Reese said. Then he went home and made a few phone calls.

Today, safe and colorful new equipment invites children of many ages to come to the park. A big red firetruck offers sliding boards and climbing activities. Four swings have soft, leather-like seats and can accommodate special seats for children with disabilities.

 


[Photos by Joan Crabb]
[With a little encouragement, a toddler enjoys the slide at the new Scully Park playground.]

A huge sandbox holds a couple of diggers that can be used by children in wheelchairs as well as by more active youngsters. A little red firehouse can be whatever children imagine it to be.

One of the first calls Reese made was to Betty Verderber, a mother and grandmother who, Reese knew, would be interested in providing equipment accessible to children with disabilities. Verderber, along with Michelle Schick, Marge Aper, Kay Furman and Dick Logan, who was then chairman of buildings and grounds for the Logan County Board, became Main Street Lincoln’s playground committee. They’ve been assisted by Jan Schumacher, Main Street’s board president.

"We researched this for more than two years," Aper said. "We wanted to find age-appropriate playground equipment that meets all federal standards for children with disabilities."

They ended up working with a company called Grounds for Play. Because Lincoln has always been a railroad town, the committee originally thought of having the major piece in phase one be a train engine, but after Sept. 11, 2001, they decided to go with the firetruck and dedicate it to 9-11 victims and rescue workers.

Most of the new equipment was set up on a recent Saturday by volunteers from the Logan County Board, the community and a particularly helpful group from New Wine Fellowship. About 20 volunteers worked from 7 a.m. until late in the afternoon assembling the equipment, digging holes, pouring concrete and putting down wood fiber ground cover. Volunteers who worked on the project don’t have to wonder if children are using it. All they need to do is drive by.

"I’ve seen 25 or so kids there every time I went by," said Dick Logan.

 


[Three-year-old Lane likes to swing her way.]

Mothers who brought their children to Scully Park on a recent September day were enthusiastic about the new equipment.

"It’s so much nicer than those rusty old swings," one mother said.

"My children have been begging me to bring them here ever since they saw the new equipment being put up," another said.

"We come two or three times a week when the weather’s nice," said a mother who operates a small day-care business.

The project has been funded by private donations and a $10,000 Illinois FIRST grant, which came through Main Street Lincoln with the help of former state Sen. Bob Madigan. Donations from many, many volunteers made up the rest, Logan said. Altogether, the cost for this phase has been about $25,000.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

With phase one so well received, the committee is beginning work on phase two. Plans for the complete playground are on display in the rotunda of the Logan County courthouse. All playground equipment will be in the park’s south quadrant.

The next phase will include a sand wall on one side of the sandbox, which will give youngsters the chance to pour sand through holes in the wall, Verderber said.

Another unit will be a toddler structure for ages 2 to 4, with a climber, sound cylinders and a slide. The current firetruck is geared for ages 4 through 8, although many younger children like it, too.

Still another unit, with a tube slide and a climbing wall, will be appropriate for 8- to 12-year-olds.

In the immediate future, Verderber wants to see a ramp built that will allow children in wheelchairs to pull themselves up into the firetruck and also ramps to allow wheelchairs to get over the wooden curb and into the firetruck area.

In the meantime, fund-raising is starting for phase two of the project. On Saturday, Oct. 5, a fund-raiser called Cosmic Bowling will be held at Logan Lanes from 7 to 9 p.m. Donation is $10 per person.

"The sooner we get more funds, the sooner we can put more equipment in," Verderber said.

Reese, who says he wants to see the people who have done most of the work get the credit, considers the playground a wonderful project.

"I would like to see the park development continue. I’d eventually like to see a shelter for picnics and some kind of restroom facilities," he said.

 


[The plan for the complete Scully Park playground is on display in the rotunda of the Logan County Courthouse.]

A list of donors compiled by Logan includes the following businesses, organizations, church groups, schools and individuals:

Businesses include Brandt’s Arcade Cafe, Harris-Hodnett Insurance, Kenshalo-Rousey Home Improvement, Manning and McQuellon Rental Properties, Charron’s Auto Repairs, MKS Jewelers, Keystone Risk Management, McEntire’s Home Appliance, Independence Holding Company, Logan County Title Company, Central Illinois Bank, Saint-Gobain Containers, Guzzardo’s Italian Villa, Fricke-Calvert-Schrader Funeral Home, State Bank of Lincoln, Graue, Inc., and attorneys Thomas W. Funk, John Gehlbach and Darrell Klink.

Organizations include Lincoln Elks 914, United Cerebral Palsy of Illinois, Lincoln Junior Woman’s Club, Lincoln Woman’s Club, Beta Sigma Phi, Lincoln Rotary Club, Lincolnite Auxiliary 2708, F.O.E. and Lincoln Firefighters Local 3092.

Church and school groups include the Holy Family Society, Episcopal Church Women, Knights of Columbus, Carroll Catholic Student Council, Lincoln Community High School pom pon squad, and Lincoln Community High School student government.

Individuals contributing to phase one include Pat and Debbie Singleton, Bob Verderber, Warren and Jean Peters, Louis and Michelle Schick, Martha Neitzel, Thomas Harris, and Richard Sumrall.

Contributions to phase two can be made at the Main Street Lincoln office, the county board office or to any committee member.

[Joan Crabb]


Gov. Ryan breaks ground for women’s correctional facility in Kankakee County

[SEPT. 26, 2002]  HOPKINS PARK — Gov. George Ryan attended a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for a new $100 million state prison in Hopkins Park to house the growing number of female offenders in Illinois and enable the reception and classification process for all female inmates to be moved closer to Cook County.

"This new facility will help us deal with a growing problem in the state’s prisons — a female inmate population that is increasing faster than other groups," said Gov. Ryan. "From the rehabilitation services available to the women housed here to the immediate economic benefits for the community, building this prison right here in Pembroke Township is a good and necessary investment for the state."

The 1,800-bed facility is scheduled to open early in 2005 and will employ nearly 300 workers during construction. When the prison is operational, it will have a $54 million budget and employ approximately 750 correctional officers and staff members.

 

The Hopkins Park site was chosen in 1999 after a selection process determined that it was best suited to the Department of Corrections criteria, including close proximity to Cook County and the surrounding community’s economic needs.

Pembroke Township is one of the state’s poorest communities, and this new prison will help bring additional investment to the community. Also, it is important to have the women’s facility close to Cook County because about 65 percent of Illinois’ female inmate population is from Cook and the collar counties and 81 percent of those women have children. The Hopkins Park site has direct access from Chicago via Interstate 57, and bus and train services are available in nearby Kankakee.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

"This facility will put women inmates within reach of various social services and educational opportunities in the Chicago area," added Gov. Ryan.

The facility was designed by HDR Architects of Chicago to best suit the needs of the Department of Corrections to operate the multi-level security prison. The entire site is approximately 140 acres, with 40 acres within the secure perimeter. One cell house will house the reception and classification area; one cell house will be used for segregation, condemned and protective custody; and the other three general population cell houses have been designed for use at any security level. There will also be a mental health care facility with 60 beds.

Funding for the facility was originally appropriated in fiscal 2000 in the amount of $88.3 million, and an additional $4.47 million was appropriated in fiscal 2003. The federal government has committed $11 million toward the construction.

[Illinois Government News Network
press release]


Articles from the past week

Wednesday:

  • CILAs should pay real estate taxes, council says

  • Lincoln retailers receive kudos (Law & Courts)

Tuesday:

  • Early morning robbery under investigation

  • Motorists with September registrations reminded of deadline

  • Former Gov. Thompson to defend Gov. Ryan against lawsuits

Monday:

  • A valuable cell phone number

Saturday:

  • County to vote on raising hotel tax;
    2003 budget still on the table

  • Other countries are using it for energy production
    What is Miscanthus? (Rural Review)

  • Gov. Ryan urges support for accused Air Guard pilots

Friday:

  • Wastewater treatment plant bids in just under the wire

  • Lincoln post office has special hours this Saturday only, 8 a.m.-noon

  • Governor announces sale of Illinois College Savings Bonds

Thursday:

  • Two bands to perform at weekend street dance

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