City planners in Gig Harbor, Washington, got the ball rolling on the construction of an all-inclusive
playground set to be put in at the Gig Harbor Maritime Playzone at City Park, Gig Harbor Patch reports.
Last October, Gig Harbor was one of the six winners awarded $60,000 from the national Together We Play contest sponsored by Landscape Structures, a Minnesota-based
commercial playground equipment manufacturer known for its inclusive
playgrounds.
The town's residents, including parents of children with disabilities, came together to write a 1,000 word essay last year that they entered in the contest. The contest asked entrants to discuss why their town or city deserved new play sets fit for kids of all abilities.
According to the publication, the planning process for the award is underway. From the $60,000, $10,000 will be put toward purchasing the
playground equipment from Landscape Structures. The remaining $50,000 will be used for setting up a design plan as well as creating developmental and educational programs with the help of representatives from Shane's Inspiration, a nonprofit organization that helps towns get inclusive playgrounds.
Although the $60,000 is wonderful, the total project is going to cost a lot more and the city has agreed to put up $100,000 toward the cause to see the playground completed in a timely fashion. Others throughout the city have also begun
fundraising in order to raise an additional $100,000. The total budget for the plan is set at $250,000, according to the news outlet.
Members of Shane's Inspiration were on hand to celebrate the beginning of the process. Brad Thornton, the nonprofit's director of project development spoke to the crowd of people saying that the new playground will be a place where children of all abilities can come together and play freely.
"Our vision is to eliminate bias against people with disabilities," Thornton told the news outlet. "These playgrounds are the vehicle to allow the programs to eliminate that bias. Currently, 80 to 90 percent of the adults with disabilities in the workplace lose their jobs due to lack of social skills. [We hope that with these playgrounds] that this generation is more accepting, more knowledgeable and more welcoming to the disabled community."
According to Thornton, the design process will take about eight to 12 weeks and after the funding goals are met, it will take between four and eight months to actually build the playground at the park.