PORT ANGELES — The Dream Playground Foundation is seeking volunteers to help construct a picnic shelter.
The group broke ground for the $40,000 shelter at the park at Fourth and Race streets on Monday. Most of the framing was done by Wednesday.
“On May 27, we’ll be setting the beams,” said Steve Charno, foundation president, and the group will need carpenters.
“Then the next week, we’ll have the tresses in the roof under way and the metal roof is under way as well, but we need to wrap the posts and do the masonry walls.
“We also need to build benches and do low walls to make some picnic tables.”
2,000 volunteers
The Dream Playground was built by 2,000 volunteers over five days in September 2002, with architectural services donated by Hank Gibson of the Gibson Design Group.
Engineering services were donated by Steve Zenovic of Zenovic & Associates.
The foundation has continued maintenance of the brightly painted playground, operating completely on donations.
After the beams are set Wednesday, the foundation will need other volunteers for work June 2-4.
“Our greatest need at this point is two masons on June 2 and 3, and two skilled and two unskilled carpenters on June 2 and 3, and on June 4 we need four carpenters and two laborers,” Charno said.
Reached target
The foundation has raised the money to build the shelter over the last year and a half, Charno said.
“Our target was $40,000, and we got just a little over that,” he said.
“We’ve also had some very generous donations, so it won’t even cost the original $40,000.
“All of the rest will go for the continued maintenance, so we can keep it looking nice.”
Walt Dalrymple, with licensed general contractor Aldergrove Construction, has agreed to donate the construction supervision, Charno said.
“Walt has been great,” he said. “He even pulled his team off of a paying job to do this volunteer for us.”
The picnic shelter will be well-used, said Corey Delikat, Port Angeles streets and parks superintendent.
“This is a fairly popular area for birthdays, but there really was the need for some area for all of that to take place,” Delikat said.
Help needed
Volunteers can contact Georgina Borte at the Clallam County Volunteer Center at GBorte@portangelesschools.org or 360-504-1201.
If she cannot be reached, phone Charno at 360-452-1977.
Sponsors of the foundation include First Federal, the Kiwanis Club of Port Angeles, The Albert Haller Foundation, the Benjamin N. Phillips Fund of the Seattle Foundation, Gibson Design Group, Aldergrove Construction Inc., the Fire Fighters of Port Angeles, Angeles Millwork & Lumber Company, Sterling Savings Bank, Family Medicine of Port Angeles and Seven Cedars Casino.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
