NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, June 24.
PORT ANGELES — Volunteers will spruce up the Dream Playground during annual maintenance at Erickson Park today and Saturday.
Raking, cleanup, fence repair, painting and sealing will be done each day between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., said Jennifer Ross, secretary/treasurer of the Dream Playground Foundation.
The volunteer nonprofit foundation was formed in 2003 to raise funds and support for the playground on South Race Street across from Civic Field.
Volunteers can come for as little as an hour or for the whole time.
Each year, the foundation prioritizes the repairs the playground needs most and puts together a work party to tackle them.
The group is hoping for 20 to 30 volunteers this year, Ross said.
This year, the foundation, with the help of the Port Angeles Parks and Recreation Department, will evaluate what, if any, major playground upkeep or remodel projects might need to be put on the drawing board in the coming years, Ross said.
Work party highlights
Also on the agenda during the two-day work party:
■ Sealing of a few wooden elements in the structure.
■ Touch-up painting of play areas and kids’ handprint tile kiosks.
■ Carpentry repairs on the fence.
■ Carpentry repairs of several benches and tables.
■ General inside and outside cleanup.
Volunteers should bring gloves, rakes and paintbrushes.
People comfortable with light carpentry can bring power drill drivers and carpentry tools.
Sawhorses, a power miter saw and a router might also be needed.
The foundation will provide Port Angeles High School students who volunteer with documentation of community service hours.
Most students need such hours toward graduation requirements, and many use them as part of their resumes for college or employment applications.
The Dream Playground at Erickson Park has two areas: one for those 5 and younger, and another for those older than 5.
Adjacent to the Dream Playground are picnic tables, a pavilion with tables, a skateboard park, tennis courts and restroom facilities.
The Dream Playground was built over five days in September 2002 by more than 2,000 local volunteers.
It is one of the largest volunteer projects Clallam County has ever seen, organizers said.
Starting in February 2002, the playground committee raised more than $185,000, nearly all from local businesses and individuals, to pay for the construction.
Many local materials were donated as well.
Playgrounds of this type have a typical lifespan of 20 years, but with the continuing volunteer maintenance being done on the Port Angeles facility, it might last even longer, say members of the foundation.
For more information, visit www.padreamplayground.org or find the Port Angeles Dream Playground on Facebook.
