Parks and Rec ‘Charles City-Opoly’ fundraiser games still available

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The “Charles City-Opoly” games are about half sold out, helping Charles City Parks & Recreation along on its goal of raising money to install an accessible playground in a city park.

The Parks & Rec Board launched the playground fundraiser back in February, looking for businesses to sponsor the playing “lots” on the board game and additional advertising spaces around the board based on the classic “Monopoly” game.

They ended up with 58 businesses represented, according to Tyler Mitchell, director of the Charles City Department of Parks and Recreation.

The department had 500 of the games made and they have been on sale for about a week.

As of Wednesday, 220 of the 500 that were made have been sold. They are available for $35 each at City Hall, Birdies and Bo’s, Main Street Drug, Otto’s Oasis, Rustic Corner and Unique Country Store.

Mitchell said money from the business sponsorships and game sales is part of a fundraising campaign to install an accessible playground at Sportsmen’s Park.

The playground will be a place for all family members to use and enjoy, he said, but it will also include features accessible to children with special needs.

“The ideal playground we’re looking at with everything that we want is $263,000,” he said, including installation with a rubber surface under the equipment and a mulch border around the outside.

So far the Parks & Rec Board has raised about $247,000, including money that had originally been saved for a new skate park; private donations including a $50,000 donation by Steve White in memory of his mother, Donna White; three years of the board’s annual share of Charles City Hotel and Motel Tax receipts; and the money from the “Charles City-Opoly” fundraiser.

The board is also still accepting donations toward the project, with the hope of reaching the $263,000 goal.

“June 14 is the last day,” Mitchell said. “Whatever we have raised by June 14 is what we’re going to put toward the playground. And if we can’t get $263,000 raised, then we’ll just make it the size of whatever we raise.”

He said they will work with the playground company, Play-Pro Recreation of Clive, the week after June 14 to finalize the design, then the following Monday, June 24, the city will officially place the order.

Mitchell said he had contacted the company recently and was told it is currently taking about 10 weeks from the order date to the install, so the playground could be ready to be played on by the end of August or the first of September.