New Playground at Jaycee Park Gets A Name, Still Needs Funding

Work has begun on a new all-inclusive play structure at , which will be called Discovery Playground. The project is expected to be completed in September.

"We feel with the different levels of ability for everyone to explore along with the nature and different sensory things that are going to be included, there are going to be many things to discover," said Maralee Britton, director of St. Charles Parks and Recreation.

The Parks Department partnered with Unlimited Play to build the playground, which will be accessible to kids of all abilities. Organizers are just $200,000 shy of their fundraising goals for the project, which is expected to cost about $850,000 to build.

A live auction fundraiser is scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 14 at . Tickets to Cardinals and Rams games, and shows at J. Scheidegger Performing Arts Center will be auctioned along with condo packages in Mexico and the Lake of the Ozarks. Drinks and hors d'oeurves are included.

If you are unable to attend the fundraiser, there are other ways to support the project, said Victoria Schmitt Babb, of Unlimited Play.

"A lot of times people don't realize how expensive our playgrounds are," she said.

Babb said local groups such as rotary clubs, and Kiwanis have helped raise money for the project by hosting fundraisers. In addition, the project received a grant from the American Association for Dermatology for a sun shield that will shade a portion of the playground.

The organization has a catalogue of opportunities for naming rights on various items at the playground, starting at $250 for an engraved custom-made fence post. See the catalogue here.

"It's a great way to show your support for the community," she said.