The City of Lincoln has been awarded a $400-thousand grant from Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to help build the City’s first inclusive playground at Mahoney Park near 70th and Fremont Streets.
“The creation of an inclusive playground in northeast Lincoln will be a beacon in all of our city to ensure that all residents have access to play where the only limitation is their imagination, not their ability,” says City Councilman James Michael Bowers.
The grant will help the City complete its strategic plan to build four new inclusive playgrounds within five miles of every Lincoln residence by 2038. “This grant and matching funds from the City of Lincoln will empower community members of all abilities to build lasting memories and relationships as they explore and play side by side in our cherished parks and playgrounds,” says Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird.
Construction for the Mahoney Park playground is expected to begin in spring 2024 and design work is underway. Parks and recreation Director Maggie Stuckey-Ross says the grant requires a 50 percent match by the city, $300,000 of which is already available in the Capital Improvement Program budget, with the remaining $100,000 coming from private donations and City general budget.
The improvements at Mahoney Park include removing the existing play structures, enlarging the playground area, installation of new inclusive playground equipment and surfacing, a water play feature, drinking fountain, benches and sensory plantings, renovation of restrooms, additional accessible parking, and redesigned walking paths, Stuckey-Ross says.
(Image: City of Lincoln)