GREENWOOD, Ark. — The City of Greenwood is working to bring a new inclusive playground to town.
The efforts have been spearheaded by some local families and a group called "Unlimited Play." For this to happen, it's going to take at least a million dollars.
The project is in the planning stages right now. Greenwood Parks Director, Casey Craig, says it will go in not far from Westwood Elementary School. He says when it's finished, it'll be a playground for all children.
"Whether your child has some sort of sensory issues, or can’t ambulate perfectly, or has issues ambulating or is completely wheelchair bound, an inclusive park gives every child the opportunity to play. And one of the coolest things about these parks is that they get to play side-by-side with every child in the community," said Craig.
Natalie McKay is the executive director of the group Unlimited Play. She says the park will have everything.
"It includes pieces like accessible surfacing. So anybody using a mobility device can go about freely anywhere they want ramping from the bottom to the top, spinners to fit with the need that kids with autism have to be able to spin and climbers to satisfy the same kind of sensory needs," said McKay.
Craig says right now the city will cover only a small part of the total cost.
"Our budget is going to cover a quarter of the project. Next week, I'll go to Litte Rock and present for Arkansas State Parks and Tourism. And hopefully, the state will help us out with some grant money. And then there's about to be a very large bootstrap campaign for some fundraising," said Craig.
Craig says the playground would be the city's first.
"This started is just another park inside of the city. And it's really turned into a passion project for us," said Craig.
Part of the fundraising will come in the form of public events like the Autumn Harvest Auction set for Nov. 7 at Bell Park.
