Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Inclusive Playground

Grinnell Parks and Recreation department will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony next week for the new inclusive playground at Central Park on the northeast corner of Broad Street and Third Avenue. The community is invited to attend the ribbon-cutting at 4 p.m. November 6th at Central Park.

The inclusive playground project added six new interactive pieces of equipment south of the existing Central Park playground, including a Yalp Sona Arch, an interactive dance and play arch that's built for all ability levels, and only the third of its kind in Iowa. The project was initiated after a community member brought the need for inclusive play equipment in the community to a Parks & Recreation Board meeting in the summer of 2021. Through research conducted by the Parks & Recreation Department, it was found that 11 percent of children have some type of disability that could greatly benefit from playground equipment that is more inviting for their abilities. The Grinnell Parks and Recreation Board secured funding for the addition to the playground through grants, private donations, and city funding.