The Rangely District Hospital Foundation (RDHF) received a $150,000 Main Street Grant (Grant) for development of its North Park project. Applied for through the Town of Rangely’s Main Street program, TREAD, Rangely Hospital Director Kyle Wren explained the grant “[is a] CDOT Revitalizing Main Street Grant,” and added that “ [t]he Town can now move forward with purchases and work on the park.” The park’s design will provide outdoor recreation opportunities to those with physical needs by creating adaptive pathways for safe walking, wheelchairs, and walkers; and exercise and seating areas adapted to those with limited physical conditions so they can enjoy healthy exercise and a serene environment which includes a memorial garden, a gazebo and waterfall, a bird watching sanctuary, and a picnic area.
One stipulation of the grant is that 10% of the funds be raised through the RDHF. To date labor and equipment was donated to complete Site Preparation Task 1: removal of dead trees and stumps, leveling the ground, preparing the area for electric and waterline installation and measuring and marking the pathway and fence line. Additionally, RDA/RDC is donating time to manage the funds throughout the build-out, and the FY22 Revitalizing Main Streets Program Project Manager Molly Bly will assist in supervision. And to date, RDHF raised a few thousand dollars in proceeds from its community yard sale in June and golf tournament in September.
In keeping with the RDHF philosophy of supporting the community, Board President Bernie Rice said, “Our Foundation is partnering with local businesses to build this Park and already has contracted with Rangely’s True Value Hardware to build the fence.” Adjacent to the Eagle Crest Senior Living Center, work has begun on the fence. The foundation, hardscape, landscape and architectural tasks specified in the grant will be ongoing as weather permits with a project end date of June 7, 2022.
The RDHF also received its 501(c)(3) designation, so donations are coming in for special features such as memorial benches, memory bricks, garden stones and legacy trees. Anonymous gifts will contribute toward funding landscaping, gazebo lights, and bird feeding stations.
When the Foundation was formed last year, the members promised to develop a trusting partnership with the community; thus, with the RDHF’s focus on maintaining rural integrity and creating a healthy living environment, North Park will be an outdoor recreational park inviting to all.
Special to the Herald Times
