BY CRAIG CROSBY

Staff Writer

MONMOUTH--The town took a giant step toward a new playground Monday with a federal grant that puts fundraisers within striking distance of their goal.

The National Park Service awarded nearly $24,000 from the Land and Water Conservation fund to help the town build a new playground near Monmouth Middle School.

Coupled with the $32,000 the Monmouth Playground Committee has raised over the past two years, the group has less than $20,000 remaining to reach its $75,000 goal, said Douglas Beck, co-chairman of the playground committee.

"We're ecstatic," Beck said.

The new playground will include a soft surface of composite pellets, a tube slide and climbing tower, benches, swings and other amenities.

The current playground is marked by rusty swings, iron monkey bars and a chain-link fence that for some in the community has given rise to the nickname "Alcatraz," after the famous prison in San Francisco.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a partnership program that provides matching funds to states and local communities to purchase, develop or conserve parks and open spaces. The program is administered by the National Park Service.

With federal dollars for Park Service projects and grants dwindling, there's not a lot of money to spread around, said Beck, who also is recreation superintendent for the Auburn Parks and Recreation Service.

The Monmouth park committee was rejected when it applied for the grant last year, Beck said.

"To be able to get a grant of this size is a privilege," he said. "It's a very competitive process. It's a good indication this is a really high quality project."

Beck is hopeful the park committee will receive other grants for which it has applied, and the committee also will host another public appeal.

The group is particularly hopeful contractors and others with know-how and equipment will donate time and services. The Land and Water Conservation grant requires a park committee match, whether in cash or service.

"It goes a lot further if we can use in-kind services," Beck said.

The committee hopes to break ground on the park by this fall. Receiving the $24,000 inspires even greater confidence. "It's an ongoing effort," Beck said. "We're not going to give up."

To donate, call Carey Lessard at 933-5956 or Kristy Vickerson at 933-4416.

Craig Crosby--623-3811 Ext. 433

ccrosby@centralmaine.com