All-access playground gets funding

SANDPOINT — Work on a handicap accessible playground will proceed as planned thanks to a final grant award.

The Travers Park playground equipment project was waiting for word on a $13,909 grant before proceeding. This week, city officials got the go ahead.

“With the final funding piece in place, construction on the new all-access playground has begun in earnest,” Kim Woodruff, Sandpoint’s Park and Rec director, said.

The new equipment will replace outdated slides and swings and will accommodate children with disabilities, Woodruff said.

In addition, it is the first park in the area to earn the distinction of being a barrier free playground.

Building an all-access playground in Sandpoint was a combined effort of the city and a group called Everyone Play.

The group, which formed a few years ago in a effort to upgrade by providing handicap access to the city’s parks, is comprised of parents, physical therapists and members of the city park and rec board.

Travers Park was chosen for the combined $50,000 project because of its abundant handicap parking and restroom.

Built in 1986, Travers Park’s equipment was already being eyed for an upgrade, according to the city.

It’s steel and wooden frame construction is built on a hill and difficult for anyone in a wheelchair, or pushing a wheelchair to access.

Everyone plays received a $5,000 grant for the playground and money from the city’s park fund was used to help pay for equipment.

Additional contributors included the Christopher Reeves Foundation, a grant from GameTime, Woodruff said.

The new playground will be surrounded by wood chips for a soft landing surface. Assembly will begin this summer.