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ALTON -- Some of the younger citizens of Alton are taking a hands-on approach to the renovation of a city park.
A group of youngsters gathered Saturday at Mississippi Mud Pottery, 310 E. Broadway, to customize clay tiles that will be displayed at Alton’s Hellrung Park next spring. The park is in Alton’s Midtown, near Central Avenue and Union.
On Saturday, 8-year-old Max Elmendorf and his brother, 6-year-old Dex, created their own designs on the soft, grayish-brown clay tiles.
"You gotta push really hard," said Ken Barnett, co-owner of Mississippi Mud, to Max. "Really press and get those fingerprints down in there."
Max finished his tile with his name and the date, making permanent his mark on revitalizing the park, which used to be a center of criminal activity in the city. Max’s father, Paul Elmendorf, said his family has grown up in the area near the park, and his wife and sister work close by.
Hellrung Park formerly was an area for criminal activity in Alton because of its location and geographic layout; the park used to consist of a bowl-shaped tract that hid its occupants from view. Now, it is undergoing a renovation that will cost between $450,000 and $500,000. The funding was supplied through grants from public parks agencies. The once-concave park since has been filled in with dirt, leveling out the spread of the land that will be the new park.
The project is part of the Alton Weed & Seed Strategy program, coordinated by Linda Campbell. Campbell said about 70 of the proposed 125 tiles already have been customized. Weed & Seed also has visited local schools, most recently Lovejoy Elementary in Alton.
Campbell said the tile project is ahead of schedule, and having children make their own tiles for the park will encourage local pride in Hellrung.
"We want them to take ownership of the park," Campbell said. "It is their park, and we want them to care of the park."
When the park is completed, it will feature a skate park, a playground, a basketball court, an amphitheater, a play fountain and gardens.
Campbell said interested families who want to customize tiles must contact her, because tiles have to be prepared from clay and cut to match the rest. The project is open to children ages 4 to 12; those living near the park are given preference. Campbell can be reached at 463-5357, or by visiting the Web site, www.altonweedandseed.com.
nick_lucchesi@thetelegraph.com
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