Volunteers aim to raise $200,000 for accessible playground

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A failed bond didn’t stop a Chimacum School District physical therapist from pursuing an idea to build an accessible playground in Jefferson County, and she’s now started a program to make that idea a reality.

Sarah Grossman had first proposed building an accessible playground after three students who couldn’t walk enrolled in Chimacum Creek Primary School and were unable to use the school’s existing playground.

When the bond that would have helped renovate that campus failed, Grossman wondered, why not find another place to build an accessible playground that also would be accessible to all county and city kids – not just those at Chimacum Creek?

And so an all-volunteer group called JUMP! (Jefferson Universal Movement Playground) was formed.

The plan is to build a playground at H.J. Carroll Park that would incorporate swings, climbing structures, slides, a spinning toy and a variety of sensory panels for ages 5-12. It would have rubberized tile surfacing, allowing kids and adults who use walkers or wheelchairs to access the playground and seating, Grossman said.

There currently are no accessible playgrounds in Jefferson County, and the community also is to temporarily lose two playgrounds at the YMCA and Grant Street because of construction projects, she said.

TEAMING UP

The JUMP! group has teamed up with the Mike Beery Memorial Children’s Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to help move the project forward.

“They took us under their wing,” Grossman said. “Without them, we were really hitting a wall.” The memorial fund is also planning to build a rock climbing structure next to the playground.

The project has been approved by Jefferson County Parks and Recreation, but there are still hurdles to jump; the project is awaiting legal review prior to a presentation before the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners and a formal sign-off, but Grossman is confident in moving forward: “Who would turn down a [donated] playground?”

And of course, there are the funds to raise – Parks and Rec and Grossman are reaching out to the community now to get it involved in what they say will better the lives of families in Jefferson County.

They’d need to raise more than $200,000, one-third of which would go to installing the rubberized tile.

“That’s why most playgrounds are not accessible,” Grossman said of the steep price. They’re also pursuing grants and hoping for business donations.

There’s a website where people can support the project through PayPal, T-shirts are being made, organizers have an upcoming interview on KPTZ, and there’s also a Facebook page.

Grossman is grateful for the people who are already on board to help out: John English donated the website design; Max Grover painted promotional art; Gordon Olsen of Mail Plus donated a mailbox; and contractor Tim Thomas has done site prep work. “And a big shout-out to Todd Hulbert,” Grossman said of the president of the Mike Berry fund.