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from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative will help a church in Winchester replace outdated playground equipment at a community park and play area.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 four grants being awarded by Bluebonnet and the LCRA 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 here