Greenwood’s new playground officially opened after a special ceremony at Lions Park Thursday, June 17.
The playground was decked out in bunting and balloons as Mayor Barry Noll joined Couns. Jim Nathorst and John Bolt in welcoming around 30 kids from Greenwood Elementary.
“This is yours now,” Noll told the eager children.
READ MORE: Boundary communities donate nearly $100,000 for Greenwood playground
READ MORE: Greenwood playground largely finished
The bulk of the project was funded through a provincial job creation program, according to former Chief Administrative Officer Wendy Higashi. Around $100,000 worth of in-kind donations had come in by December, almost half of which came from Alberta contractor Trevor Zahara. Vaagen Fibre and the West Boundary Community Forest donated materials, while Son Ranch Timber milled the lumber that went into the playground’s “tiny tot house.”
Speaking after Thursday’s ceremony, Coun. Nathorst said he was happy to see the children play. “It’s nice to finish something,” he said, adding, “it takes a long time to get anything going in a small community. When you actually get it done — that’s an awesome feeling.”
The project’s second phase is expected to add a wooden tower (with slides) as well as a public washroom and wheelchair-accessible play features, including a merry-go-round. The city is now waiting for a $340,000 grant through the Invest in Canada Infrastructure Program, which Zahara said would pay for the bulk of construction. Zahara said he hoped the overall project would be completed by next summer.
The project’s second phase is expected to add a wooden tower (with slides) as well as a public washroom and wheelchair-accessible play features, including a merry-go-round. The city is now waiting for a $340,000 grant through the Invest in Canada Infrastructure Program, which Zahara said would pay for the bulk of construction. Zahara said he hoped the overall project would be completed by next summer.