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Macomb, IL – A community service group wants to hold a new fundraiser to pay for improvements to Chandler Park in Macomb, but at least one alderman has some concerns.
The improvement project is being promoted by Kiwanis. The group wants to install new swings and playground equipment. Kiwanis also wants to do a bit of landscaping and build a a brick patio area.
Alderman At Large Dennis Moon says the additions sound nice. However, he thinks the city should create a comprehensive plan for the park before anything else is done.
"Maybe we need to have a little foresight into where we want the whole Chandler Park area to go and what we want it to look like," says Moon. "I'm sure this could be incorporated into it. But I get a little concerned when we start piecemealing things together."
Kiwanis Secretary/Treasurer Tim Moss says $14,000 has already been pledged for the work. He says Kiwanis now wants to raise another $10,000 by selling engraved bricks for the proposed patio.
"People can buy the bricks and have their names put on it or whatever they want to. It would be about $100 per brick," says Moss.
Moss hopes to match the patio bricks with the look of the bricks used in the sidewalks in Chandler Park.
Kiwanis would like to buy and install the playground equipment this spring. Aldermen agreed to recommend giving the group permission to move ahead with the brick fundraiser so that it can potentially accomplish its goal.
The idea of improving Chandler Park is nothing new. The city has talked about working on the brick walkways and upgrading the park's electrical system. But those plans have simmered on the backburner for a couple years.