The Village Board of Mahomet approved $99,036.95 for playground equipment at Barber Park in late November.
The allotted dollars will cover equipment and shipping.
The full cost of the playground will be $170,039, but the cost to the Village was reduced with the help of an Illinois Park and Recreation Association/Game Time grant that provided 50-percent discount toward the purchase of equipment. The total grant discount is $76,822.45.
The playground will not be completed until 2022, but Mahomet Parks and Recreation Director told the board that the grant requires the equipment to be purchased in 2020.
The Village has allotted $187,000 in the CIP budget for the playground. Waldinger said additional costs will be forthcoming in playground surface and installation.
Waldinger said that the grant requires the playground to meet seven inclusive principles, which has been important to trustee Andy Harpst from the beginning of the playground conversation.
“There’s seven principles of inclusive design that we have to follow,” Waldinger said. “Inclusivity doesn’t just mean ADA, it means all kids, all ages, play for everyone.”
Helping with the design were Bret Johnson of the Champaign Park District, Leslie Radice of the Urbana Park District and Camille Rose an Occupational Therapist.
The playground equipment includes swings, including two mommy-and-me swing and a tri-swing, climbing apparatus, a “boat” and slides. Waldinger said that MPRD would like to see the base be a poured-in-place rubbery surface, but staff is looking into the budget to see if it will be possible.
The playground equipment will begin installation sometime in 2021. Until then, Waldinger said that the Village will have to talk about storage options, whether indoors or out.
Playgrounds in the past have been constructed with volunteer hours, but the board and Waldinger agreed that the Barber Park project may need to be bid out for assembly and installation.
Additionally, Waldinger said groundwork would have to be done to reroute water in the flood plan away from the soccer fields and playground.
The playground is part of a larger picture for Barber Park. Phase I of the renovation.$400,000 from a dollar-to-dollar matching OSLAD grant, will help pay for a splash pad, improved pavilion and additional multi-use pathways. The Village will receive $200,000 up front. Fundraising efforts will begin early in 2021.
In 2018, the Village board saw a $2.5 to $3.5 million dollar plan for Barber Park from MSA Professional Services, Inc.
Waldinger said that with the renovation of the park, Barber Park will become Mahomet’s “community park.”
