Do you find the sun oppressive in the while sitting in or around the sandbox at the LV Park? Do you wish there were more places to find shade besides the (now complete!) pavilion roof? Then we need your support to help us fundraise for a shade canopy for the sandbox area at the Lyon Village Park.

At the 3/14/11 General Meeting, LV community members voted in favor of privately fundraising for a shade canopy over the Lyon Village Park sandbox. We hope to install the canopy before summer.  

We are targeting $100 donations by about 120 households, but no donation is too small or too large! We have raised over $5000 as of July 2011

To pledge your support, please make checks payable to Lyon Village Citizens Association and write "sandbox canopy" in the memo line.  Drop donations in Caroline's mailslot or send (3175 17th St. North, Arlington, VA 22201)  If you have questions, or would like to help in the fundraising efforts, please contact Caroline at walsh2holt@gmail.com.   

We will also be posting signs at the park to elicit donations from non-resident users of the Lyon Village Park. Please feel free to forward this email to friends outside LV who use the LV park and even grandparents.If you have concerns about erecting a shade canopy at the LV Park, please contact our Parks Manager, Lyndell Core at LCore@arlingtonva.us

More details below:

With budget cuts forcing the shut down of Rocky Run park in Courthouse, coupled with the well planned and funded multi-year upgrade already made to our park (most recently the upgrade of our basketball and tennis courts, and the extra unplanned expense of our eco-friendly new pavilion roof), the County Parks staff indicate they cannot make funds available for this initiative.  

They are excited, however, that our community is willing to invest in this public space to continue its enhancement.  The County would like to see this partnership come to fruition provided that a) the structure will not compromise any safety regulations (including that we cannot install or maintain it ourselves), b) that it aesthetically aligns with the park design (we are working with the County's landscape planner, c) and that there is Community support (which we have received through multiple emails, through discussion and Q&A and ultimately the vote at the General Meeting on March 14th).  Caroline Holt is working to ensure we meet all three standards before we donate the canopy to County Parks.  

Upon donation, the County would assume liability for the structure, but we would retain upkeep responsibility for the structure.  The County will shoulder up to 12 hours per year of maintenance burden. Initial estimates are between $8000-$12,000, depending on the structure we select:  A structure with fabric canopy has a lower acquisition and installation cost than a structure with a permanent roof, but higher maintenance costs over time.