Hannah Williams
Playground Is Open -- Enjoy!
NEWS -- Week of Oct. 2-8, 2000
(all items in reverse chronological order)
Saturday, Oct 7 -- The days are flying by! And progress IS being made. The three sandwich boards are up around town (thank you WHS Ski Team for the boards). We have posters to hand and donation forms to distribute!
The FUNDRAISING is beginning with a MEETING TUESDAY -- please volunteer. We need to bring in some money very fast so we can order the materials needed. If anyone can make us a "bridge" loan for a few weeks.... please call asap.
Note: all donations to Friends of Hannah Williams Playground are tax deductible! Every penny goes toward the repair and maintenance -- there are no management fees or outside consultants being used. There are only volunteers.
We have a new category of volunteer on the sign-up form.... babysitter! During the big work days, we'll need people to look after children so parents can work!
We need tools – you don't need to donate them, just loan them from now thru Thanksgiving. Write/engrave your name and bring it to Ted Fiust or Tom Klein for the tool trailer. We'll return them as soon as we're done with them.
We continue to add to our database for volunteers, donors and more... please invite friends to sign up and/or make a donation. Every dollar counts -- dollars donated early count more!
Watch for a big banner to go up at the playground next week, donated by Alltype Signs and Graphics of Natick -- thank you Jon Grocer (a Wayland native) who was very enthusiastic about helping out!
The rain didn't stop our crew from marking each work area with red tape and taking apart some of the more difficult to repair items.
Wednesday, Oct 4 -- The work begins! The playground has been secured, a construction trailer with tools, etc. has been brought on site. Clean-up, marking items for repair, rating projects' complexity... and more, all got started less than 12 hours after the Commission vote.
On the fundraising/organizing side, several potential donors were contacted today, our database was started to track volunteers and their skills, signs are being designed that will be donated by a local sign shop, and ideas for fundraising events were generated.
Sorry no photo today... we took some, but not ready for the web yet! Stay tuned.
Tuesday, 10/03, 10 PM -- Approximately 80 supporters – children and parents – turned out to hear the plan to repair and reopen the Hannah Williams Playground in Cochituate that was heartily endorsed by a vote of the Wayland Parks & Recreation Commission. The plan would have the playground – closed for 18 months – reopened byThanksgiving.
Work will begin almost immediately to remove some items and repair others in preparation for a big volunteer weekend on Oct. 21 and 22. Fundraising will begin right away, although more than $4,000 of the $12,000 or so needed for phase one of a three-phase plan is in hand from the previous stewards of the property.
From left: Commissioner Mary Ellen (MEL) Litter finalizing details after the vote, the symbolic first hammer tap, Repair Director Ted Fuist getting right down to work in the dark, minutes after the vote.
Monday, 10/02 -- The big news today is that this Web site now lives at www.hannahwilliams.org (as you can tell, we hope).
Sorry there was no update over the weekend -- but volunteers were out putting up flyers and posters around town about the meeting TOMORROW night (Tuesday, the 3rd) at 7:30 with the Parks & Recreation Commission. (Note: the Oct. 10 meeting is the regularly schedule P&R monthly meeting).
We are hopeful of a positive, cooperative meeting with the Commission. Word from several sources is that our effort is being viewed favorably. We are excited to unveil our plan to repair and reopen the playground within weeks, plus craft a multi-year plan to further improve, repair and maintain the playground. Ultimately, this group would have a lot of say in the replacement of the wood structures -- so get involved now!
Thank you to all who have called or eMailed -- PLEASE -- tell all your friends to deliver a letter to the Commission tomorrow.
Being hopeful that we might get approval, we are immediately looking for funds and volunteers. PLEASE CALL OR USE THE SIGN UP PAGE. (We must admit... we don't know where or how to take funds yet... more after tomorrow night!)
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- We continue to accept donations for the long-term maintenance of the play structure -- make checks payable to Friends of the Hannah Williams Playground; mail to 26 Garden Path, Wayland, MA 01778.
- Buy a T-shirt -- both long-sleeve and short-sleeve now available