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McDonald dreams of new Jackson park Nancy McDonald and her friends have a dream of a new Pine City Park for the City of Jackson. There is a nine-acre site the city owns behind the New Era Cap Company. "I want to have a place to take my kids (a two-year-old and a four-year-old) and play," she told the current class of "Leadership Clarke County" on Oct. 18. The proposed $350,000 project is more than just a playground, McDonald said. The fundraising committee has chosen April 2, 2008 for the start of construction of the playground section of the park. "We will continue to develop the other (segments) as we go along," she said. The park is intended as a space for all ages, McDonald said. There will also be a walking trail. Architects who designed the park talked with children at Jackson schools about what they wanted, and those desires such as a Pirate Ship and Castle Mirror Maze were incorporated into the design. The project has received a $75,000 matching grant from the Sybil H. Smith Trust. Supporters told the Jackson City Council "we want to do this," she said. "We didn't say we want you (the council) to do it for us. We want to raise the money as a community. We want to get the community involved. That way we have ownership in this park." There are many ways in which McDonald and the park supporters are raising money for the park. Individual citizens, businesses and corporations are being encouraged to sponsor various parts of the park such as play and climbing equipment, slides, obstacle course and picnic area. Ceramic tiles with handprints are available at $25 each. A workday is planned from 9 to 11 a.m. on Dec. 1 at the Gillmore Elementary School to make the painted handprint tiles. A routed picket for a picket fence around the proposed Tot Lot area are being sold at $25 each. Lettering can be placed on the pickets, and there will be approximately 800 pickets available. They must be ordered by Dec. 1. There is a promotion for school children at Gillmore Elementary where turkey feathers can be purchased for $1 each until Nov. 9. A teacher's name is written on each feather. The teacher that receives the most feathers will dress as a turkey for a day. In addition, there will be a "Cow Chip Bingo" game from noon to 3 p.m. on Nov. 3 in downtown Jackson during the fall festival. The cow's first three plops will be awarded prizes. The cost is $25 per space or "deed," and $50 for three spaces. If 250 spaces total are sold, there will be a drawing for a $250 cash prize. If 400 spaces are sold, there will be a $500 cash prize. The group's fundraising goal is $150,000 for the playground by the end of December 2007. They will accept donated materials, and they are signing up volunteers. "We're going to build it," she said. "We're not going to hire a construction company." She hopes the timber will be removed from the proposed site in the next few weeks.
For more information on the Pine City Park Project, call Nancy McDonald at 1-251-246- 4311 or 246-8263.
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