DES MOINES (AP) — A groundbreaking ceremony on Monday will mark the beginning of construction on a playground that will honor a slain real estate agent.
Twenty-seven-year-old Ashley Okland died after she was shot at a model town home in West Des Moines on April 8, 2011. No arrests have been made.
The Ashley Okland Star Playground will be built at Ewing Park and will have features adapted to children with cognitive and physical disabilities.
Fundraising for the project was begun in September by Variety — The Children’s Charity of Iowa. Okland had been a board member. Variety exceeded its fundraising goal of $500,000 in April.