Guilford park needs $20,000 for construction

GUILFORD - According to the Guilford Park committee, the starter pistol has been fired for a race to raise $20,000 more for the construction of the Guilford Community Park. The committee has been working for over a year on plans to build a park behind the Guilford Store, alongside the Guilford Community Church in the center of Guilford’s Algiers village. The park they envision is complete with green spaces, a pavilion, a walking labyrinth, children’s play area with a slide and swings, a basketball half-court and net, and fire pit.
 If community members and businesses donate $20,000 by Tuesday, February 28, the park can qualify for a matching $40,000 Vermont Community Development grant, known as the “Better Places Program,” which will allow the park committee to have everything on their wish list.
According to Dunham Rowley, one of the organizers, the vision for this park is one where community members of all ages can socialize and foster community through shared recreational experiences. The large and artfully-designed timber-frame pavilion will accommodate community events such as concerts, weddings, family reunions, and a host of other activities, making use of the amphitheater seating.
The plans have received a permit and the blessing of the Act 250 process.  Now the only thing that stands in the way of a finished park is the $20,000, which needs to be raised under a tight deadline. 
To donate online visit patronicity.com/gcp or mail a check to Community Collaborative for Guilford (CC4G), 475E Coolidge Hwy., Guilford, VT 05301 with Guilford Community Park (GCP) in the memo line. Donations are fully tax-deductible. For more information call (802) 579-4572 or email drowley021@msn.com.