Hello My Friends,
While we had hoped for a larger turnout to strengthen our collective voice, I want to sincerely thank those who showed up and spoke in support of our children and their playground. Your presence made a real difference—and we did see meaningful progress.
It became clear during the meeting that the City Council and Mayor had already made their decisions prior to hearing public input. Nevertheless, the strong voices in the room resulted in progress! Initially, the City had allocated just $25,000 toward a new playground. A modest amount, especially considering that $110,000 of city funds was recently approved for furnishing and completing their new meeting room.
Thanks to the advocacy of those present, the City agreed to shift some priorities and double its contribution to $50,000. This is an important step forward. A new playground of similar size is estimated to cost around $75,000, leaving $25,000 for us, the residents and supporters of Mendon to raise together.
Since the City recognizes that fundraising for a meeting room would likely be unsuccessful, it chose to dedicate public funds to that project while asking the community to raise the remaining funds for the playground. While we wish the priorities were different, the Mayor and City Council was elected and granted the authority to make these decisions, which we now must respect.
That said, we are grateful for the increased contribution from the City and are hopeful this momentum will help us restore this vital space for our children in a timely way.
A volunteer committee has been formed to lead the fundraising and planning efforts. These individuals are generously offering their time and energy to help bring the playground back to life. I’ll be sending out more details soon on how you can get involved or contribute financially.
Together, we can make this happen. Thank you for standing with us.
Warmly,
David Hansen