‘Barrier-free’ playground grant approved
In the News
PlayCore, which markets the GameTime brand of playground equipment, has announced that Maryville Parks & Recreation will receive a share of $1 million in recreational infrastructure grant funds to be divided among a dozen communities statewide.
As reported earlier, Parks & Rec will use the money to develop a “barrier-free” playground for children coping with a range of physical and behavioral challenges. The public playground is to be located near — and shared with — a proposed $3.2 million early childhood education and daycare center planned for completion on the SSM Health St. Francis Hospital campus next year.
Maryville Parks & Rec Director Aaron Dobson said in May that the department was partnering with St. Francis in an effort to seek a share of the grant, which is being funneled through the Missouri Parks & Recreation Association.
According to a Parks & Rec release, the amount of the local grant award will be determined once design for the playground is completed and approved by the agencies involved.
“Maryville Parks & Recreation and SSM Health St. Francis are excited to be a recipient of this funding opportunity,” Dobson said Friday. “Through our partnership we will strive to provide a fun experience for individuals of all ability levels that is unique to our area.”
Dobson added that individuals and groups interested in supporting the project should email St. Francis Foundation Development Officer Megan Jennings at [email protected].
Unlike Parks & Rec, the St. Francis Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity, meaning that donations in care of the foundation are tax deductible.
If construction moves forward as planned, Dobson said the resulting playground will be Maryville’s largest and offer an array of accessible gear designed especially for young people with special needs, including those associated with limited mobility, autism, Down syndrome, spina bifida, visual impairment and other conditions.
While most of Maryville’s public playgrounds are handicap accessible under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, Dobson said the proposed facility goes well beyond those requirements by offering a recreational environment specifically designed for children confined to wheelchairs or facing other limitations.
Such playgrounds are a rising priority for communities nationwide, but the equipment needed to create them — special ramps, walkways, slides, swings, rockers, play shelters and elevated sand tables — isn’t cheap, and costs can easily exceed $100,000.
Applicants chosen to receive PlayCore/GameTime funds were selected through a competitive application process and must provide a dollar-for-dollar local match.
Terms of the grant call for a minimum purchase of $60,000 worth of equipment, and grant funds may not be used for such tasks as site preparation and surfacing.
Dobson said the playground, and perhaps some of the land around it, is to be designated as a Maryville Parks & Recreation pocket park open to the public when the childcare center is not in session.
As the project stands now, the hospital and Parks & Rec would jointly provide funds for the local match and enter into a mutual agreement with regard to maintenance, security, restroom access and other operational requirements. Details of that agreement are still being worked out.
Dobson said, in his view, the fact that Maryville was able to submit a proposal that emphasized a working partnership between two local entities gave the application a considerable competitive edge.
He estimated the cost to Parks & Rec of developing the playground at around $20,000, a portion of which will almost certainly have to come from private donations.
Playgrounds funded by the grant are to be designated National Demonstration Sites, and data compiled from their use will be included in a white paper summarizing “best practices and outcomes.” The findings will be presented at a Missouri Parks and Recreation Association conference to be held in 2018.
Other Missouri cities approved for a share of grant funds include Branson, Chesterfield, Clayton, Ferguson, Springfield, Bowling Green, Clark, Columbia, Warrensburg, Mexico and St. Joseph.
