Playground equipment-Grant helps build playgrounds
Playground equipment-Grant helps build playgrounds
With the help of KaBOOM! and the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, Rocky Mount is getting three new playgrounds with much more than just a slide and some swings.
Shovels will hit the dirt Saturday when hundreds of volunteers lend a hand to build a new playground at Buck Leonard Park. Parks and Recreation Director Kelvin Yarrell said the last major update to the park near downtown was in the late 1980s when a shelter and walking trail were added. The current playground is more than a decade old, but there have been many changes in recently years.
“We had public meetings with youth and the adults on the project with citizens responsible for selecting the type of playground they wanted and the colors,” Yarrell said. “It is always good when citizens have input in projects we work on, and we’re proud to have this project be community-driven from start to finish.”
Volunteers are encouraged to attend the work day kickoff ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Saturday with construction getting underway shortly after 9 a.m. Crews will work throughout the day to make way for a ribbon-cutting ceremony around 2:30 p.m. Officials said the work day will happen rain or shine.
“This is a great opportunity to redevelop a park and give it back to the citizens better than we found it, which is ultimately what the citizens entrust to us,” Yarrell said. “We may take away community amenities for a while for a renovation, but we’ll give it back better and we hope they understand that is what we’re doing.”
Peacemakers Family Center in South Rocky Mount also has a new playground in the works with community input gathered on Tuesday.
“We hope the kids will get excited about the project, but we’re also curious to see what things are important to them,” said Peacemakers Executive Director Jesse Lewis. “The grant from KaBOOM! and Kate B Reynolds also has five workout stations included in the designs for adults, so we’re excited about incorporating fun, exercise and togetherness for the entire family.
“That is a big win in particular for the community we serve.”
Once the community’s ideas are incorporated into the Peacemakers’ playground plan, the facility will be built with a volunteer work day on June 18. In the meantime, Peacemakers is working to raise the $8,500 contribution they need for the project, with most of the funds already raised through its website at http://rockymountpeacemakers.org/online-giving/.
Lewis said with youth at the facility nearly every day of the year, having an outdoor exercise facility is a must.
“A lot of our work revolves around education — particularly with elementary-age kids — but we’ve struggled somewhat because we don’t have a great play space for them,” he said. “We haven’t been able to provide them with a great place to be outdoors, but this provides us that opportunity and, honestly, this is something we couldn’t afford on our own because playground equipment is very expensive.”
With the help of KaBOOM! and the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, Rocky Mount is getting three new playgrounds with much more than just a slide and some swings.
Shovels will hit the dirt Saturday when hundreds of volunteers lend a hand to build a new playground at Buck Leonard Park. Parks and Recreation Director Kelvin Yarrell said the last major update to the park near downtown was in the late 1980s when a shelter and walking trail were added. The current playground is more than a decade old, but there have been many changes in recently years.
“We had public meetings with youth and the adults on the project with citizens responsible for selecting the type of playground they wanted and the colors,” Yarrell said. “It is always good when citizens have input in projects we work on, and we’re proud to have this project be community-driven from start to finish.”
Volunteers are encouraged to attend the work day kickoff ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Saturday with construction getting underway shortly after 9 a.m. Crews will work throughout the day to make way for a ribbon-cutting ceremony around 2:30 p.m. Officials said the work day will happen rain or shine.
“This is a great opportunity to redevelop a park and give it back to the citizens better than we found it, which is ultimately what the citizens entrust to us,” Yarrell said. “We may take away community amenities for a while for a renovation, but we’ll give it back better and we hope they understand that is what we’re doing.”
Peacemakers Family Center in South Rocky Mount also has a new playground in the works with community input gathered on Tuesday.
“We hope the kids will get excited about the project, but we’re also curious to see what things are important to them,” said Peacemakers Executive Director Jesse Lewis. “The grant from KaBOOM! and Kate B Reynolds also has five workout stations included in the designs for adults, so we’re excited about incorporating fun, exercise and togetherness for the entire family.
“That is a big win in particular for the community we serve.”
Once the community’s ideas are incorporated into the Peacemakers’ playground plan, the facility will be built with a volunteer work day on June 18. In the meantime, Peacemakers is working to raise the $8,500 contribution they need for the project, with most of the funds already raised through its website at http://rockymountpeacemakers.org/online-giving/.
Lewis said with youth at the facility nearly every day of the year, having an outdoor exercise facility is a must.
“A lot of our work revolves around education — particularly with elementary-age kids — but we’ve struggled somewhat because we don’t have a great play space for them,” he said. “We haven’t been able to provide them with a great place to be outdoors, but this provides us that opportunity and, honestly, this is something we couldn’t afford on our own because playground equipment is very expensive.”
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