LCRA, Bluebonnet Electric Co-op award $14,953 grant for new playground equipment

Winchester church to upgrade community park with updated, safer equipment

Dec. 1, 2022

LCRA and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative representatives present a $14,953 grant to Saint Michael’s Lutheran Church for new playground equipment at its community park area. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. Pictured, from left to right, are: Kate Ramzinski, LCRA Regional Affairs representative; Sherry Murphy, Bluebonnet community and development representative; Mirlyn Griffin, park board and church member; Rev. Nate Hill, pastor; Marceil Prestridge, church president; Mikey Adams, church member; Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter, LCRA Board member; Russell Jurk, Bluebonnet director; Bill Karisch, park board and church member; Darline Kaiser, church member; and Ron Kaiser, church president-elect.

FAYETTE COUNTY, Texas – A $14,953 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative will help a church in Winchester replace outdated playground equipment at a community park and play area.

The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $4,100 in matching funds from the church, will allow Saint Michael’s Lutheran Church to improve a park on its land that hosts numerous community events and is open to area residents and visitors.

“We don’t have a lot of public resources here in Winchester, so the Saint Michael’s Church park is an important place for people to be able to play and gather,” said the Rev. Nate Hill, the church’s pastor. “If you’re driving by, you’ll often see children out there playing. The high-quality equipment we’ll have will make things safer and more enjoyable for them.”

Hill said several organizations in the area, including the Winchester Area Volunteer Fire Department, hold events and activities at the park.

In addition to replacing an old wooden playground structure that had to be torn down because it was unsafe, the church will add rubber mulch and new border trim to replace a sand base and a rotting wooden border trim. The new playground will include a slide, swings, rock-climbing wall and more.

The community grant is one of 46 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.

About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations. For more information, visit lcra.org.

About Bluebonnet
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of the largest electric cooperatives in Texas and has been serving its members since 1939. Bluebonnet serves more than 122,000 meters and owns and maintains 12,000 miles of power lines, located across more than 3,800 square miles within 14 Central Texas counties. Bluebonnet’s service area stretches from Travis County to Washington County, and from Milam County to Gonzales County. For more information about Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, go to bluebonnet.coop and follow the co-op on Facebook and Twitter.

Media Contact
LCRA
Clara Tuma
512–578–3292
[email protected]

Bluebonnet
Will Holford
512-332-7955
[email protected]