Three new Franklin Park facilities, the Yakima Sunrise Rotary Pavilion, the Downtown Yakima Rotary Playground, and two Southwest Yakima Rotary Picnic Shelters will be officially dedicated during a combined fundraiser and celebration on Wednesday, June 12th.
Dedication of the pavilion, playground, and picnic shelters will take place during the invitation-only event at Franklin Park that begins at 4:00 pm and includes a silent auction, music, food, and more. Rotary club members and their guests have been invited to attend the fundraiser and celebration.
Construction on the Yakima Sunrise Rotary Pavilion, the Downtown Yakima Rotary Playground, and the Southwest Yakima Rotary Picnic Shelters began earlier this year. Fundraising efforts by the three clubs covered all of the costs of building the pavilion, playground, and picnic shelters. The pavilion is valued at about $200,000. It cost nearly $83,000 to build the playground and around $25,000 to build the two picnic shelters.
The Yakima Sunrise Rotary Pavilion, the brainchild of Sunrise Rotary Member Howard Moore, covers a 30-foot by 40-foot area and will serve as a home for community events and as a stage for the City’s summer concert series, the Yakima Folklife Festival, and other performances.
The Downtown Yakima Rotary Playground features a wide variety of climbing and other state-of-the-art equipment. Franklin Park used to have a playground, but it was removed a couple of years ago because it had become outdated and had been repeatedly vandalized.
The two Southwest Yakima Rotary Picnic Shelters replace a single shelter that had been at the park but had begun to show its age. The old shelter was removed earlier this year and will be refurbished before being placed in another City park in the near future.
“I continue to be impressed with the commitment our local service clubs have made to improving our community’s parks,” said Yakima Parks and Recreation Manager Ken Wilkinson. “It is not an exaggeration to say that the pavilion, playground, and picnic shelters at Franklin Park would not exist were it not for the dedication and generosity of our local Rotary clubs. The members of those clubs have given wonderful gifts to the Yakima community and we are truly grateful,” said Wilkinson.
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New Franklin Facilities Dedication – News Release
Contact:
Parks & Recreation Manager Ken Wilkinson – 576-6416
Communications & Public Affairs Director Randy Beehler 901-1142