‘Barrier-free’ playground grant sought
In the News
In a move that could lead to a “barrier-free” playground for children coping with a range of physical and behavioral challenges, the Maryville Parks & Recreation Department has announced that it is partnering with SSM Health St. Francis Hospital in an effort to seek grant funding through the Missouri Park & Recreation Association.
If funded, Parks & Recreation Director Aaron Dobson said, the resulting playground would 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.
The MPRA grant is funded by PlayCore, which markets the GameTime brand of playground equipment. In Missouri, the corporation is providing $1 million to be divided among as many as eight communities scattered around the state.
Applicants chosen to receive funds will be selected through a competitive application process and must provide a dollar-for-dollar local match.
Dobson and St. Francis Foundation Development Officer Megan Jennings have suggested locating the playground on hospital property adjacent to a proposed $3.2 million early childhood education and daycare center slated for completion early next year.
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 or surfacing.
Dobson, who placed the proposal before the Park Board last week, is asking that the playground, and perhaps some of the land around it, be classified as a Maryville Parks & Recreation pocket park open to the public when the childcare center is not in session.
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.
Dobson anticipates the cost to Parks & Rec at between $10,000 and $20,000.
“At this time we do not have the funding in the budget to accomplish all the criteria for this grant on our own,” he said, “nor do we have a shovel-ready project.”
Meaning that there are still a lot of unknowns. The duration of the agreement between the hospital and Parks & Rec, the size of the park, its amenities, allocation of maintenance responsibilities and the financial obligations assigned to both parties are still subject to negotiation.
Also, since the application is due this month, Dobson is on a very tight deadline, and while the Park Board, with one abstention, has signed off on the concept, it may have to meet in special session to approve the final agreement with St. Francis.
Nevertheless, Dobson said he is excited about the possibilities such a playground would offer. He added that the odds of receiving the grant are enhanced because the project is envisioned as a joint undertaking between two community partners rather than a single-agency effort.
Should the grant be approved and the park built, the playground would serve as a national demonstration site, data from which would be incorporated into a white paper to be presented at next year’s MPRA conference.
