Thanks to the all-day efforts of volunteers and organizers with JUMP! (Jefferson Universal Movement Playground), coordinators are one step closer to completing the first-ever, all-accessible playground in Jefferson County.

Close to 50 volunteers in total showed up to HJ Carroll Park on a recent Friday to assemble and put up a host of structures and accessories on the playground. The work party stretched from morning to evening.

“It feels surreal. Seeing all of these people helping put our equipment up is out of this world to see it really coming to fruition,” said Amie Haskins, a member of JUMP!’s board of directors.

“It feels really good to get to the finish line with this and to have a win for the kids and our community,” Haskins added.

Originally starting as an idea in 2016, the playground was dreamt up as a play space that offers a variety motor- and multi-sensory experiences for kids of all ages and abilities to enjoy, while also offering accessible surfaces to parents, caregivers, and friends who use assistive mobility devices so they can safely walk or roll around and watch the kids as they play.

Those dreams will soon become reality as organizers round the finish line with the $1.4 million project expected to be completed by the end of September.

“I have to say, it’s hard when you’re looking at the designs on paper [for] what it’s actually going to look like when you walk through it, and you can just see that it’s going to be such a place of joy and fun and community,” said JUMP! vice president Sarah McNulty.

The coordinators first broke ground on the playground in May, but recent volunteer efforts have pushed the project that much closer to completion.

Volunteers, construction workers, and organizers erected multiple segments of the all-accessible playground, including the foundation, newly-paved sidewalks, swings, the main play structure, along with connecting bridges and slides.

“We really focused on not only just accessibility for kids that have mobility impairments, but we were thinking about visually impaired, sensory-disordered kids who might be overstimulated, so we have a serenity spot. It’s kind of a little quieter place to hang out if things get overwhelming,” said JUMP! president Sarah Grossman.

The organizers made sure to thank a variety of businesses and organizations that helped with the volunteer efforts or in general, including Henery Hardware, Safeway, QFC, the Food Co-op, DASH (Disability Awareness Starts Here), Ferino’s Pizza, and many more.

While most of the foundational pieces are in place, organizers are waiting for some parts to come in like a net climber, merry-go-round, rock climbing structure, and more.

Going with a sea theme for the playground, the organizers are looking to add nautical pieces from local artists Rebecca Welti and Gunter Reimnitz.

The two artists have been collaborating to create a wavy, seaweed-like front gate for the facility, along with a large, climbable plankton structure that will adorn the grounds, Grossman said.

Looking back at the six years of planning it took to get to this point, the organizers recalled the project’s humble beginnings.

“It started with bake sales and a concert and doing T-shirt sales, and then finally we got enough money we could start writing grants,” Grossman recalled.

“The funny thing about this group was I never felt like anybody’s ego got in the way of anything, which is remarkable when so much energy is being expended. That’s what kept the trust and communication alive,” said Matt Tyler, Jefferson County Parks and Recreation manager. “Bringing a facility like this to a county with 30,000 people, it’s really really special.”

“It gives the community a space to come together on something instead of being divisive. It’s so great to have an opportunity for people to agree on something — come together with only a positive experience with joy and fun,” Haskins said. “I think the kids deserve this. This is what they were made for, so we’re just providing them a place so they can do what they were meant to do, so that’s it, have fun!”

To learn more about JUMP! and the playground, visit jumpplayground.org.