Old Town Lansing Tells Its Story…
This is from the Michigan Main Street 2009-2010 Annual Report
Old Town's biggest design success story was executed by the Old Town Main Street program's economic restructuring committee.
While grappling with how to draw people from downtown to Old Town using the greater Lansing area's biggest
connector, the River trail, and find a way to provide family-friendly activities without waiting for an elusive toy store to move
to town, committee volunteer Heather Cook suggested a community built playground. Volunteers raised $8,000 from the
Capital Region Community Foundation, found partners in the city of Lansing Parks and Recreation Department, and solicited
the help of excavators, contractors, landscapers, and
90 volunteers.
On August 15th, 160 yards of mulch and a semi loaded
with slides, ropes, nuts and bolts were delivered to Burchard Park in Lansing and by dusk there was Old Town's newest success
story. The project was the first of its kind in Lansing and has achieved everything the committee had hoped.
