December 6th, 2006

The discussion at this meeting focused on ways to involve the school community and the neighborhood community in the design process to gain momentum and exposure for the project, which would in turn help with fundraising.

We discussed hosting a community "charette," which would bring together design professionals, students and community members in a celebratory day of brainstorming, drafting and presenting design possibilities to the school. The charette would be an excellent way to involve the community, link the project with architects and designers and generate enthusiasm for the renovation. We decided that we would research the process and follow up with contacts at Pratt, Center for Architecture Foundation, and the Design Collective Studio.

Committee members also suggested that the charette might be a culminating event after a series of smaller awareness and fundraising activities. Among the ideas was a neighborhood "playdate" at PS 9 and a community soccer game.

PS 9 is also planning a fundraiser called "Taste of Prospect Heights" and a committee member suggested that the Playground Committee might support that fundraiser as a way to combine/maximize resources.

The next meeting is set for Wednesday, January 3rd at 6:30pm.