Starkville Rotary Club plans to work with the city to build a new playground that will be accessible to children with special needs, a majority of club members voted at Monday’s meeting at The Mill at MSU conference center.
Grant Arinder, who became club president in August, pitched the project as a “legacy endeavor” for the club. Rotary clubs in a variety of cities have built inclusive playgrounds, including in Dothan, Alabama; Springdale, Arkansas; Sunrise, New Jersey; Johnson City, Tennessee; and Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada.
The Rotary board already approved the project, and the club approved it by a show of hands, both in person and via Zoom.
Arinder called the playground a “dream” of his. The club has worked on several projects in the community, including financially sponsoring the construction of one of the baseball fields at the Starkville Sportsplex.
“When I heard that the Sportsplex and Cornerstone (Park under construction on Highway 25) were going to happen, and it coincided with when people from Rotary approached me and asked if I would be interested in being president, I started looking at the timing of these things and I began to wonder (if) maybe there’s an opportunity here for us to do something really, really significant,” Arinder said.
In addition to a variety of play structures, some features of an inclusive playground include ramps for wheelchairs, plenty of shade and a smooth ground surface besides mulch to make it easier for anyone to walk or use a wheelchair. Rotary members have not determined where the playground will be, since the project is still in the planning stages.
Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill said the city will match Rotary up to $200,000 for the project, and Arinder said the club has $180,000 in the bank, though some of it is reserved for a rainy day fund and some for the annual Starkville Rotary Classic Rodeo.
Previous club president Sid Salter said he would prefer the club retain its savings.
“I support this project, but I support (both) getting out and working hard and raising money in the community, and making a large significant investment from the club’s earnings,” Salter said.
Spruill and the club agreed that the approval of the playground concept was preliminary, and leaders of both the club and the city will work together to figure out the potential cost and sources of funds.
“If y’all commit to doing this, then we’re going to have to plan for it, because $400,000 for a playground is a lot different than $200,000 for a playground,” Spruill said. “If y’all are going to do it, there’s going to be an expectation that you’re going to ante up for it.”
Tess Vrbin was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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