Advice, ideas on getting a playground built? (Wilkes-Barre, Kingston: insurance, how much)

[Magritte25]

I've been thinking of this for the last six months or so and I'd love to hear some of your ideas.

There are no playgrounds in the neighborhood I live in. I want to change that but have no idea where to start.

Any input from you would be great!

[thecoalman]

First thing to look at is how much the insurance is going to cost and who's going to pay for it.

That or go to the local government. Assuming the borough is not interested which will probably be the case check around and see if there is any interest in the neighborhood. You could form a non-profit which will allow you to own land, do fund raising etc.

Lot of work involved in doing a project like this, thank the lawyers.

[Magritte25]

How do I even find out how much insurance is going to cost? I am so clueless. How does one form a non-profit?

I know it's a ton of work, but I think it's worth it, ya know?

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by Magritte25

How do I even find out how much insurance is going to cost?

Does the town have any other playgrounds? Ask them how much they pay, find another town close by that has a playground.

As far as the non-profit try getting some advice for other organizations in your area. Matter of fact if you have a local Rotary club, lions club or even a local Volunteer Firehouse you might even be able to do it through them. Sort of joint project...

Ask around, people that run those organizations have "been there, done that" so to speak and will be able to give you the best advice how to proceed.

[BLUEDIAMOND64]

Do you live in a private community? You may want to bring it up to the board, but most of the time it goes on deaf ears. What about the township you live in? Not knowing where you live, makes it hard to suggest things. Start to google non-profit and you find quite a bit about forming a non-profit organization. Again, insurance and liability all play a part of these things.

[scrantonluna]

There are a couple ways to go about this. Where do you live? Is there an area
available to even build a playground?

I would start by identifying a particular lot and go from there. Ideally, you'd want the local govt to pay for the playground. There may also be grants available, in which you would have to raise half of the money required and the rest would be matched up to a certain point.

If you have to go it alone, you'd have to form a park association to free yourself from liability. I have no idea what kind of insurance you'd have to carry (probably astronomical), but you may be able to piggy-back on a town/borough policy. I wouldn't even consider paying your own insurance unless the playground generated some kind of revenue.

Talk to your neighbors and see what they think. Are there enough children in the immediate area to take advantage of such a thing? Who will care for the grounds?

It's not impossible, but it could certainly take years to accomplish.

[Magritte25]

I like in the city of Wilkes-Barre. Not in the township. Coalman, that is a good idea about going to a volunteer type club. I was also thinking of trying to get a group of neighbors together to start something up.

There are a couple areas I was thinking of that would be good for a neighborhood playground...one of them being an abandoned property with a rotting house on it. Thought it could be knocked down and a playground built....I know that's a lofty idea, but I"m just brainstorming right now.

I know there are alot of kids in our neighborhood, so it's definitely a viable idea. I thought a parents association could be in charge for caring for the grounds.

[rcb1966]

Pitch your playground as being "green", you may be able to acquire some grants or funding. Liaison with the city, contact the mayor and/or parks & recreation if it still exists in Wilkes-Barre. Maybe even go as far as to form a Wilkes-Barre City chapter of EAC (environmental advisory committee), sometimes state funding is available if the EAC is involved with the project & you couple it as being "green". It is very time consuming, costly, & you will certainly butt heads with a neighbor who does not want a playground. If all else fails, Kingston has a great park next to the **** past the Shop Rite. That's where I took my kids when we lived in W-B. Good Luck!!

[Magritte25]

I did a bit of research and found www.kaboom.org and requested some of their materials. It seems to me that it helps people organize and mobilize to do the fundraising, etc.

[scrantonluna]

I would contact your council members, and go from there. It's absolutely possible that they may take a blighted property through eminent domain and convert it to a park.