LCRA awards $25,000 grant for ADA-compliant playscape in La Grange

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LCRA presents a $25,000 grant to the City of La Grange for an ADA-compliant playground. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. Pictured, from left to right, are: Janet Moerbe, City of La Grange mayor; Lori A. Berger, LCRA Board member; and Tami Blaschke-Walker, City of Schulenburg city administrator and CDPP review committee member.

The City of La Grange will install a playground visitors can enjoy regardless of their abilities, thanks to a $25,000 community development grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority.

The grant, along with $68,950 in local matching funds, will let La Grange establish an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant play area in northeast La Grange, the only one of its kind in the Fayette County area.

City of La Grange Recreation Director Janet Rangel said the rougher surfaces and inaccessibility of play equipment at some parks can make children with disabilities feel stigmatized.

Additionally, Rangel said, the location of the new playground adjacent to Randolph Recreation Center will provide outdoor activities for youths who attend camps and after-school programs at the center.

Rangel said children attending these programs now have to be bused across town to find a place to play.

“It’s so hard on my budget and the kids and bus drivers to get all of the kids together and take them somewhere,” she said. “Now we can walk out our front door and say, ‘Look, we can play!'”

Rangel said parents or grandparents with a walker or cane also will benefit because the playground’s surface will allow them to be closer to the children as they’re playing.

“It’s a draw for nannies, grannies and papas to know they can interact with the kids while they’re playing on this surface,” Rangel said.

She added the city also plans to install a splash pad and spray park facility adjacent to the playground area, bringing another element visitors of all abilities can enjoy.

The community grant is one of a number of grants recently awarded through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. The program provides economic development and community assistance grants to cities, counties, volunteer fire departments, regional development councils and other nonprofit organizations in LCRA’s electric and water service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves.

Applications for the next round of grants are due Jan. 31. More information is available at
lcra.org/cdpp.

About LCRA
​The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; ensuring a clean, reliable water supply; and offering access to nature at more than 40​ parks, recreation areas and river access sites along the Texas Colorado River, from the Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to enhancing the lives of Texans through water stewardship, energy and community services. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934. For more information, visit
lcra.org.

Media Contact
Clara Tuma
512–578–3292
clara.tuma@lcra.org


Source: LCRA Business News

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