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A sculpture at the Children’s Garden at Fountain Lake Park features two children reading on a bench.

Children’s Garden opens at Fountain Lake Park

Staff

Published Tuesday, October 21, 2008

City officials and members of a local effort called the Legacy Project braved a chilly, rainy Friday afternoon to celebrate the opening of the new Children’s Garden at Albert Lea’s Fountain Lake Park.

The garden is a circular gathering and play area just west of the gazebo at the park. It is designed to be accessible and friendly for young kids said City Planner Bob Graham.

“The height of the objects in the garden is the same as younger children, so they can see, smell and touch things at their own level,” Graham said.

The metal statuary at the rear of the garden welcomes kids into a semi-enclosed recreation area where they can feel safe and comfortable. Planters and stone benches surround the sides of the garden, creating a play world where youthful imaginations can express themselves in a beautiful and natural environment.

Photo by Ed Shannon

The new Children’s Garden at Albert Lea’s Fountain Lake Park is located just west of the gazebo at the park.

The garden is the literal expression of the creative mind of a college intern.

Jennifer Arneson spent a summer in Albert Lea as a paid intern with the Albert Lea Planning Department in 2006. Arneson had previously designed a children’s garden while living and studying in Madison, Wis. She designed the new children’s garden here and presented her ideas to city leaders. The garden project gained city approval and moved onto the mayor’s wish book, a list of city project priorities.

Funding the $10,000 project was the job of the Legacy Project, an offshoot of the 2007 Albert Lea Sesquicentennial Committee. The Legacy Project was created to find creative ways to spend surplus money generated by the sesquicentennial events.

Carol Wolter was the co-chairwoman of the Sesquicentennial Committee and attended Friday’s event. She said the stone benches and planters were acquired from the Wausau Co. of Wisconsin. The statuary is the product of Large Art Inc.

City workers constructed and installed the furnishings over a three-week period in July, said City Parks and Recreation Director Jay Hutchison.

“We couldn’t work on it full-time because we have many other things to do,” Hutchison said. “But our guys did a good job with this.”

Other city improvement projects funded by the Legacy Project and completed by city workers include the colorful fountains near Katherine Island and the gazebo at Memorial Park.

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