WATERVILLE -- The Inside Out Playground will close this month after 16 years in the city.

An overdue fuel bill and fewer people patronizing the facility are among the reasons playground officials cited for closing.

"Our last day to play is Nov. 25," said Melanie Pellerin, president of the playground's board of directors. "Our intention is to be completely out of the building by the 30th."

The playground is a nonprofit organization at 5 Appleton St. in a building owned by the St. Joseph Maronite Catholic Church. The playground rents from the church.

Pellerin said the playground's fuel debt from last year is about $6,000 and there are no funds to pay it.

"We need to get the word out to the public, because at this point, there isn't anything left that we can do," Pellerin said. "At this point, we've resigned ourselves that it is the end of our tenure."

The playground was founded in 1993 by John Salvato, a pediatrician, and Susan Childs, a family physician, on the fourth floor of The Center downtown. Two years ago, it moved to Appleton Street, where Pellerin said its bare-bones annual operating budget is about $35,000.

The playground employs three part-time workers and survives mostly on donations, grants, fees and birthday parties, she said.

"You really need more corporate-type sponsors and more grants and those are very difficult things to get when you know you're running on a bare minimum to begin with," Pellerin said.

Amy Calder -- 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com