By LINDA HOSKINS
for The Post and Mail

     A safe, unique, colorful and imaginary village playground, equipped with a fire truck, farmhouse, barn, restaurant, playhouse, spin-about, bank, post office and lots more, would be any child’s dream come true.
     In an effort to make these dreams a reality, South Whitley Park Board members Colleen French and Katie Till presented the South Whitley Town Council Tuesday with its plans for a new renovated playground.
     In June the park board approached the town about the possibility of an updated park. The town agreed with the renovation, providing funds were achieved through grants and/or donations. Since then, park board members have brainstormed and come up with several possibilities for the project estimated at $150,000 to $175,000. To date, South Whitley Community Facilities Inc. (SWCF) has donated $1,250, the Master Gardeners donated $415 and The Whitley County Community Foundation (WCCF) awarded a matching grant of $10,000.
     WCCF awards matching grants twice a year to charitable projects making a positive impact on Whitley County. As a definition, matching grants are offered for a certain amount toward a project on the condition the same amount is raised from other sources. For instance, for every $100 raised, $100 will be matched from the funding source.
     In 1975, SWCF was established and uses interest from the principle amount to award grants annually that support local projects.
     At its annual meeting on Dec. 16, the park board plans on writing a letter of request in hopes of receiving additional grant money for their project.
     “We want to incorporate the current gazebo into our plans because it is so beautiful,” said Till. “We want a park that is bright and colorful with high quality material where our children can use their imagination and be age appropriate.”
     Plans include the west side of the park for children ages two to five, and the east side with larger equipment for ages five to 12.
     “We want a imaginary restaurant with picnic tables and a bridge the children can use to cross over to the other play area,” said French. “This would be a huge undertaking and one-of-a-kind playground.”
     At the first of the year, the park board plans on reaching out to the community for support in hopes of reaching their goal. The project would be constructed in phases as funding allows.