RENSSELAER FALLS — Since its formation in September 2011, the five members of the Rensselaer Falls Playground Committee have been averaging $1,000 a month in fundraising to build a new community playground.

Because of their efforts, committee members have raised $15,000 towards their $60,000 goal.

“We’ve done everything you can think a school fundraiser would do,” Committee Co-Chair Jolene M. LaSiege said Thursday. “We have had 50/50s, T-shirt sales, bake sales, bottle drives, Zumabathons, a scrapbook day, you name it.”

At the village’s Centennial Celebration last weekend, the committee held several fundraising events including a hot-dog-eating contest and carnival rides. The committee also received several donations from area companies such as Walmart, Price Chopper and Pepsi-Cola Ogdensburg Bottlers.

“We don’t have the final tallies yet, but we think we raised quite a bit,” said Committee Co-Chair Renee L. Stiles. “We’re going to take a break from fundraising for a while, however. We think we’ve exhausted most of our fundraising ideas because we find we’re asking the same people over and over again.”

Most of the group’s funding will come from grants like the Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work and Play grant facilitated by the St. Lawrence Health Initiative, Mrs. LaSiege said.

“Unfortunately we have to wait for the land to be secured before we can apply for grants,” Mrs. LaSiege said.

The new playground, which is proposed to be located at the 300 block of State Street behind Chapin’s Country Market, 102 Canton St., was set to be purchased by the village for $2,000 in February. However, the sale has not closed due to concerns over former ownership of the land, Mrs. Stiles said.

“The county is trying to obtain an abstract survey of the land,” said Mrs. Stiles. “We’re having a lawyer look into it.”

The committee hopes to purchase the new equipment by September 2013.

“Playground equipment typically goes half price in the fall,” said Mrs. LaSiege. “We’ve been working with two playground equipment companies. Both have agreed to come up and lay out a plan.”

The old wooden playground at 107 State St. was demolished last year over safety concerns. Committee members said they hoped the area would be space for the entire community, not just a place for children to play.

“We don’t have a community area right now,” said Mrs. LaSiege. “Once this playground is established you can see more community events happening here.”

Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.

You can continue on to this article in a few seconds, or you can visit one of our websites:

• Watertown Daily Times
• The Ogdensburg Journal
• Daily Courier-Observer