Check with your mayor's office to learn if there are any local funding sources available through the city. There may be, for example, federal funds allocated to cities for community development or "social infrastructure" projects. Call to find the best liaison to the mayor - often a community relations manager - and write a thoughtful letter about your project.
Ask the mayor's office staff to serve on planning committees. The staff has a great understanding of city issues that could be very useful in your project planning.
A mayoral proclamation can be a fun way to celebrate an event like Build Day. Check with your mayor's staff about creating a customized proclamation recognizing the support of the community for your Build Day or declaring a local Day of Play!
Various city agencies and offices may have lots of equipment and skilled staff that could be useful to your project. Consider asking your mayor for an in-kind donation of any (or all) of the following:
Hole Augering
Trash Removal
Site Security
Community Meeting Space
Build Day Parking
City mayors have a big stake in skateparks - they can reduce noise, protect public property, and offer a safer place for youth. In many cases, city mayors have been instrumental in requesting funds for the city annual budget, recruiting city crews to help with site prep, approving and finding locations, etc. Be sure to involve your mayor if you're planning a skatepark.
Local note: Mayor Roger Meadows - Hemet, Calif.
"I got involved in our community playground project because of the children. Our children need all the help they can get just to grow up in a decent world. There is an elementary school about a block away from our new park. They, and their PTA, supported the project 100 percent. I try to go by the park every couple of days, and I have yet to see fewer than 10 or 12 kids playing there. They, and the community around it, LOVE the playground. The kids at the school helped design the park, and The Home Depot and our city crews did a lot of the work. Our Assistant City Manager volunteered as the project coordinator! I give all the credit to the kids. It is special to see their faces at something like this..."
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