item(s)
About Our Organization
A trust that manages a community house and park for full enjoyment by the public and any and all orgnizations of religious, charitable or other description who desire to use the same for any particular occasion, this park is maintained by fundraising.
We want to insure that anyone who wishes to visit Latham Park feels welcome and that their needs are important. There are guest bathrooms on the grounds of the park but these were built in 1939 and some mobility challanged people may have difficulty using them. We have the space in our current building to create an ADA accessable bathroom. We believe there are many people that could benefit from the ambiance of Latham Park who may not feel they can visit and spend some time there since bathroom availability may be difficult for them.
We believe strongly in the healthful power of greenspace .. seeing the flowers, hearing the birds, watching the rabbits.
Latham Park is known as a "Hidden Jewel" in the Siouxland area. It is a public park located at 1915 S. Lemon St. in Morningside area. Each year funds must be raised to run the park and for ongoing maintenance. In March of 2023 much damage was done to the park as a result of a high speed chase through the park. As a result, funds raised last year went to repairing some of the damage.
This years Big Give project is to raise funds to refurbish the fountain and seal it for the 2024 season, replace the sinks in the public restrooms as well as replacing the water lines for the public restrooms. We are also raising funds for the planning for adding an ADA public restroom.
We are raising funds for the refurbishment of the West Gate Entrance. This is the entrance on the corner of Orleans Ave. and S. Cedar Streets. Several trees that have died and bushes need to be dug out and replanted. Because this is more than what the Friends of Latham Park are able to physically do on their own, we need to hire a landscaper to remove the trees and replant the entrance area. We anticipate this to cost between $1,500 to $3,000.
For the fiscal year of 2021-22, we have planned to tear down one very old outbuilding and upgrade two others, both exterior and interior. These buildings house all of the equipment used to maintain the park grounds and store the tables and chairs that are available to the public to use for their events, such as weddings. Also, the plumbing in the fountain needs to be renovated, as it has been non-operational for half of the season this year. Workmen are lined up for these projects, which will begin after the park closes for the season in early October.
Due to the impact of Covid-19 this year, we missed out on two of our annual fundraiser events. To help compensate for this, we are hoping here to add monies to our endowment fund, thus enabling us to plan for beautiful 2021 gardens. We normally go into the winter with $2500 bankrolled and designated for the purchase of annuals; that fund is virtually void this year. We hope Siouxlanders who regularly enjoy the Park will help us obtain the necessary dollars to perpetuate its beauty!