When Juneau’s Twin Lakes Playground burned down on April 24, news of the fire quickly spread to the Alaska State Capitol.
Pete Kelly, president of the Alaska Senate, was one of the legislators who took notice. Kelly, who plays in a band with other legislators called the Capitol Band, offered to put on a concert to raise money for the playground’s rebuild, and Juneau Mayor Ken Koelsch quickly accepted.
Kelly and his legislative band will put on a show Monday from 7-9 p.m. at Centennial Hall, where attendees can donate to the playground rebuilding project. The event, called “Rockin’ the Park,” will include appetizers and a cash bar as well, and all proceeds will go to the rebuilding of the playground. The doors open at 6:30 p.m.
The fundraising goal is $100,000, which will cover the deductible. The City and Borough of Juneau’s insurance policy will cover the rest of the rebuild, which is expected to exceed $1 million. Various organizations around the state, including BP Alaska ($25,000) and Alaska Airlines ($10,000), have donated money to the rebuilding project and as of May 3, the community had already raised $12,000 of its own. Foodland and Super Bear IGA are donating $5,000 on Monday.
Checks can be made out to the Juneau Community Foundation, and Parks and Recreation Director Kirk Duncan estimated earlier this month that the rebuild could start next spring and be completed by the end of summer 2018.
