Community volunteers, who won $30,000 in December for a regional playground for the children of Pierce County, have plans to win an additional $65,000 in January.

The grants from the Pepsi Refresh Contest will be used to purchase building materials and architectural plans for the Playground by the Sound. Volunteers will build the playground in September 2011 on the North Meadow of the Chambers Creek Properties, the recreational gem owned by Pierce County in University Place.

After winning $30,000 in December, the group is competing for an additional $30,000 in grants this month to pay for swings, slides, a rock climbing wall and other components.
Three other local groups are joining them in a partnership called Refresh U.P. that seeks to win a total of $65,000 in grants to benefit families in West Pierce County. Besides the Playground by the Sound, the other partners are:

— The University Place Library Campaign, which is competing for $25,000 to purchase items to enhance the children’s area of the new University Place Library. This fun and interactive early-learning area will include play and learn panels (flexible furnishings that incorporate letters, colors and shapes) and books for babies and emergent readers.

— The Parks and Recreation Scholarship Project, which is competing for $5,000 to help increase access to recreation programs for kids, teens and seniors in the community.

— The University Place Volunteer Center, which is competing for $5,000 to fund staffing and to update its computers. The center recruits and coordinates volunteers for more than 20 nonprofit community groups.

More information on how to sign up and vote daily through the month of January for these University Place projects is available at http://www.refreshup.org .

January is the final month that Pepsi will give away more than $1 million to communities across the nation as part of its Refresh Everything campaign. Voting is open to anyone in the United States.