Construction begins on South End playground after federal grant cancellation
After the cancellation of a $1 million federal grant put plans for a new playground in the South End on hold, Tacoma Public Schools, Parks Tacoma and the Trust for Public Land have contributed more money to the project to allow construction to begin.
The project is the result of an effort among the three groups to upgrade existing school yards into green spaces that serve as school playgrounds during the school day and community parks outside of school hours, to ensure that all Tacoma residents live within a 10 minute walk to a park. Construction on the upgrades at Larchmont Elementary School has begun, according to a release from Parks Tacoma, and the project is scheduled to be completed next spring.
“Community schoolyards are meant to be a neighborhood hub where people can connect outdoors and be active, spaces that make people want to live and play here,” Tacoma Parks Board President Andrea Smith said in a release. “We listened to what the people around Larchmont want and we will strive to deliver.”
The agencies will “continue to seek additional funding as they work to bring the project’s vision to life,” the release states. By the time the project is completed, the playground will see new equipment, safety surfacing, an amphitheater that can double as an outdoor classroom, trails and new storm drains.
The three organizations are still looking for funding to cover the cost of planting native trees and plants, which was originally covered by the federal grant. Without it, the renovated playground will not have the 32 trees that the organizations planned to add.
The community schoolyard at Larchmont will be the last of a total of five such projects in Tacoma, adding it to a list that includes Jennie Reed, Whitman, Mann and Stafford Elementary schools. The project costs about $1 million per site, according to the Trust for Public Land.
