What Modesto’s $2.5M Awesome Spot playground needs before it can break ground
Fundraising for an estimated $2.5 million "inclusive playground" planned for Beyer Community Park in north Modesto is nearly a third done, and some big advances are expected in the next few months.
"We're making great strides," said O’Dell Engineering landscape architect Chad Kennedy, one of those spearheading The Awesome Spot project. "Currently, between pledges, contributions and in-kind donations, we're at 31.5 percent.
"That does not include any of the naming sponsorships yet. We have organizations interested but we don't have any in place yet."
Those include the playground name sponsor, at $500,000; Rain Forest Excursion sponsor, $250,000; Savanna Safari sponsor, $200,000; and Swamp Cruise sponsor, $150,000. The playground already has several equipment sponsors, among them the Modesto Rotary Club, Mocse Credit Union, the Carlos Vieira Foundation and Sutter Health.
The effort also has nearly two dozen $1,000 "Awesome Sponsors," including the Sylvan Improvement Club, Modesto Irrigation District and St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Information on making donations and available sponsorships is at theawesomespotplayground.com.
Without spending a dime, the community can give The Awesome Spot a shot at a $20,000 grant from the National Recreation and Park Association and the Walt Disney Co. The Meet Me at the Park Earth Month campaign offers one city the chance to receive the grant to improve a park.
"If we, as a community, nominate the city of Modesto EVERY DAY during the month of April at www.NRPA.org/DisneyMeetMeAtThePark, then the city (if it receives the most votes) will be given the grant," according to a page on The Awesome Spot's website. The park project is being supported by the city through its Park Partners Program.
An inclusive playground is one where children with disabilities can play side by side with able-bodied peers, and disabled parents can join their kids. Its surfaces are wheelchair-accessible (no sand or drop-offs), as are some pieces of equipment. A sliding board would hug a gentle hillside so that if a child loses his or her balance, there’s no fall off the side.
The overarching theme of the nearly 2-acre Awesome Spot is nature, which will be reflected in three play areas: Swamp Cruise, Rain Forest Excursion and Savanna Safari.
Brought to the city by Modesto-area mom Rachel Loredo, the project probably could be built in phases, "but our preference is to do it all at once," Kennedy said. Currently, the team is working on permits, construction documents, design details and more, he said.
"The way things are going, we're excited. We think we'll get the support we need to break ground at the end of the year. We're optimistic."
Once construction kicks off, the playground should take about six months to complete, Kennedy said. It will be fenced off during construction and for a couple of months afterward, to establish plant growth before it's opened for use.
To learn more about The Awesome Spot, go to www.theawesomespotplayground.com or www.facebook.com/TheAwesomeSpotPlayground.
To request a sponsorship packet, contact Rachel Loredo at www.theawesomespotplayground.com/contact-us.html or email info@theawesomespotplayground.com.
This story was originally published April 4, 2018 at 10:42 AM with the headline "What Modesto’s $2.5M Awesome Spot playground needs before it can break ground."