Donated materials and volunteer labor helped reduce the cost to build Galesburg’s new picnic shelter at Kiwanis Park.
Kiwanis members and non-members contributed a total of nearly 350 hours of volunteer labor to build the shelter. The Kiwanis Club picked up $7,000 of the cost to build the shelter, and the City of Galesburg funded the remaining $1,047.
Galesburg area businesses donated materials and equipment for construction. Webber Rental donated the use of a front-end loader to level the ground before construction could start. City park crews dug footings and further graded the site. Lufkin Schwieter Ready Mix provided the labor for pouring and finishing the concrete while the Kiwanis Club purchased the concrete material. Habitat for Humanity of Knox County donated the roofing shingles and the timber was finished with wood stain provided by the local Sherwin-Williams Co.
The idea for the shelter was first proposed in the spring of 2011. The new shelter was dedicated in June 2012.
The new shelter is large enough to hold six picnic tables supplied by the city.
