Major Donation Announcement Marks Official Start to Rebuild of New Millennium Park
For Immediate Release: April 1, 2011
For Further Information Contact: Scott Raymond, 491-9176; or Kay Barnett, 794-2608
Major Donation Announcement Marks Official
Start to Rebuild of New Millennium Park
The Rebuilding Millennium Park fundraising effort officially kicked-off today, April 1, with a $50,000 Tourism Relief Grant from the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitor's Bureau. This donation is the first major contribution to the project.
Said Mayor Roach:
"The City of Lake Charles and the Rebuilding Millennium Park Committee are deeply thankful for this grant. It represents a significant, initial seed fund toward the rebuilding of Millennium Park and demonstrates the regional significance that this park has to the children of Southwest Louisiana.
"We sincerely appreciate Shelley Johnson and the board of directors and thank them for their generous support in our quest for a bigger and better park.
"When completed, our new Millennium Park will be a true recreational centerpiece that everyone can enjoy and be proud of."
According to Kay Barnett, Rebuilding Millennium Park chair, "We cannot thank the Convention and Visitor's Bureau enough, and this large donation will name and underwrite the cost of the Shiver Me Timbers Pirate Ship, one of the main play areas in the new design. It is just what we needed to jump start the community fundraising campaign."
The Rebuilding Millennium Park Committee has decided to incorporate the history and culture of Southwest Louisiana in the play components again. Many of them will be the same with even more creativity in the design and with more durable and safer materials. "We want kids to imagine what things were like when they play," adds Barnett.
Area business and industry will also have the opportunity to sponsor and help name the other play areas. "There will be over 50 components to sponsor in the new Millennium Park," said Bob Dewey, co-chair of the Rebuilding Millennium Park Committee, "and beginning today, we will start calling on area business and industry to determine their level of interest."
"We are ready to call on businesses now," Dewey said, "and there are sponsor opportunities at all levels."
The goal is to raise $350,000 from private sources with all funds being dedicated to the project. The City will add funding from the insurance reimbursement and the remainder will come from the City.
The new Millennium Park is scheduled to be built by community volunteers in late summer or early fall of this year.
All donations are appreciated and can be made online through the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana, a non-profit area organization, at www.foundationswla.org; by mailing to: Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana, P.O. Box 3125, Lake Charles, La. 70602; or delivered to the Foundation at 120 W. Pujo St., Suite 120, Lake Charles.
For more information, visit the City of Lake Charles web site home page at www.cityoflakecharles.com and the Hot Topics link Rebuilding Millennium Park.
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