The Children’s Play Park at Donnelly Park will be closed for six days next week for repairs thanks to a partnership between the City of Turlock and Turlock Sunrise Rotary, which has adopted the playground as a service project nearly 20 years after playing a vital role in its original construction.

Sunrise Rotary became involved with the play park once again after past President Billy Lopez took a quick stroll through the playground last year and noticed a few things.

For one, quite a few of the colorful, hand-painted tiles that adorn the outside of the play structure were broken, or missing altogether. Wear and tear over the years had also caused pieces of the wooden play place to break off, and graffiti was a frequent find amongst the park’s wooden panels.

Lopez brought his concerns back to TSR, who then collaborated with Parks, Recreation and Facilities Manager Eric Schulze to give the playground a much-needed makeover from Sept. 19-24. The park will be closed during this time, and will reopen on Sept. 25.

“We felt it was our responsibility to keep it up and keep it looking nice, since there are so many children who play there and enjoy it,” said TSR President Eric Julien.

The renovations to the Children’s Play Park will include resealing of the structure, and replacement of many damaged tiles. Sunrise Rotary held two separate painting events, where members invited friends, relatives and neighbors to create new tiles for the park. The group also invited Pitman and Turlock high school seniors who need community service hours to help complete the repairs.

Funding for the project came from the Turlock Sunrise Rotary, said Julien, and the group paid about $500 for tiles and paint for the project alone.

“We’re excited that the structure is going to get a little added attention thanks to the Turlock Sunrise Rotary,” said Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities Allison Van Guilder at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.