PARKS FOUNDATION STARTS CAMPAIGN FOR NEW PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT

Cape Girardeau's Parks Foundation is trying to raise $15,000 to buy new playground equipment for Ranney Park.

The fund-raising effort got its first boost Tuesday when NationsBank donated $5,000 toward the equipment for the South Cape Girardeau park.

Jay Knudtson wore two hats at Tuesday's donation.

Not only is he the chairman of the foundation and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, he's also the vice president of professional and executive banking at NationsBank.

"What we're really hoping for is that seed money will kind of inspire some other corporation or group to come together with us to achieve our goals," Knudtson said.

He hopes private donations will be able to fund improvements that didn't fit into the city's budget.

"The real impetus behind this is we had budgeted $15,000 this year to do the improvements to include the playground equipment and the shelter," Knudtson said.

But flat city sales tax revenue forced several departments to cut their budgets, and the playground equipment purchase was axed, he said.

The city has been actively working to improve Ranney Park for the last couple of years, said Dan Muser, director of the city parks and recreation department.

Last summer, work started on landscaping and other improvements.

Old playground equipment that had become too dangerous to be used was removed from the park and a new shelter was built.

In addition, some landscaping work has been done, Muser said.

Some residents in South Cape Girardeau have been concerned that the extension of Highway 74 will cut their neighborhoods off from the rest of the city, he said.

"This puts a facility in their neighborhood that's just as good as anything anyone else has," he said.

Knudtson said Ranney Park hasn't gotten much attention from the city in the last few years. The new playground equipment should help change that, he said.

The decision to raise funds for Ranney Park also reflects a change in focus for the Parks Foundation, he said.

For the last few years, the foundation has concentrated on raising funds for the construction of the Shawnee Sports Complex and the Osage Community Centre.

From now on, he said, the foundation will be able to focus its efforts on raising funds to improve the city's other parks and recreational facilities.

The foundation's status as a not-for-profit organization should help it attract corporate donations, Knudtson said.

Muser said his department will be looking at replacing worn playground equipment at the city's parks and at developing other parks, such as Delaware or Osage parks.