Press release:

The Des Moines Legacy Foundation is pleased to announce the receipt of a generous $7,000 grant from the Puget Sound Energy Foundation.

The funds provide the seed money to help pay for a Civic Readerboard to be installed at the Des Moines Senior Activity Center located at 2045 S. 216th St.
The Puget Sound Energy Foundation is a nonprofit entity operating independently of Puget Energy and PSE. None of the foundation’s funds come from PSE’s utility customers.
The Puget Sound Energy Foundation began accepting grant requests in early 2007 and in its first year of operations focused on the Human Services, Education and Environmental sectors. Currently, the Puget Sound Energy Foundation's primary focus of support is Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

The intended use of the energy efficient LED Readerboard is to reach people of all incomes and abilities with civic messages to inform Des Moines citizens and visitors on important community events, services and meetings, emergency management and preparedness and safety topics.

Multilingual readerboard messages will used as possible to improve public awareness and community betterment.

"Making our community a safer place is the main objective of the Puget Sound Energy Foundation," said Andy Wappler, foundation chairman and president. "The new LED civic reader board will enable the Des Moines Legacy Foundation to communicate key safety messages that will benefit families in our area. We are proud to be a part of helping this project move forward."

The Des Moines Legacy Foundation will work with the city of Des Moines to seek the additional funds needed to purchase and install the Civic Readerboard and to offset the ongoing maintenance and operation costs.

The infrastructure needed for the Readerboard will be built as part of a city of Des Moines Transportation Improvement Project along S. 216th Street. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2013.

For more information on the Des Moines Civic Readerboard Project, contact Patrice Thorell, Des Moines Parks, Recreation and Senior Services Director at 206-870-6529.