Lt. Ross Park/CyTenney Playground re-opened Wednesday afternoon thanks to three sources of funding, according to Director of Recreation, Parks and Forestry Jen Davis.
The first two funding sources are the Community Preservation Commission and the City of Peabody. The third funding source is made up from generous donors. Davis said she’s hoping for about $20,000 to be raised among donors and added that “we’re about halfway there.”
The funds that come from community donors will be used for the “afterthoughts” of the project, like picnic tables, buddy benches, fencing, etc.
According to Davis, this playground renovation was necessary because the old wooden features had started to deteriorate and disintegrate.
“That’s why we don’t use wood playgrounds most of the time anymore,” Davis said. “This new playground will actually last probably 30-40 years, but we know that we’re going to need to do some fundraising to replace the other side of the playground eventually, so this is kind of the start of it, and we’ll continue on.”
Davis emphasized the five donor tiers which allow for all contributions, large or small, to receive recognition.
- The Honorable Mention tier is for donors who contribute $5. These people receive thank you messages in the Department of Recreation, Parks and Forestry’s bi-weekly emails.
- The Bronze tier is for donors who contribute $20, and they receive social media recognition.
- The Silver tier is for $100 donations, and up to 200 people who become Silver donors will have their names listed in a sign in the park.
- The Gold tier is for $1,000 donations, and up to 30 of these donors will receive fence plaques.
- The highest tier is the Platinum tier for donations of $5,000, and up to four of these donors will have a buddy bench or picnic table in their honor.
Donations can be made on the Peabody Recreation, Parks and Forestry website. Davis emphasized that any money left over will go toward the future maintenance or replacement of the front side of the playground, which is called Adventures for Angels.
“We’re just looking forward to making sure that the kids have a place to play,” Davis said. “And this course is for ages 5-12, predominantly. The Adventures for Angels section is more for 2-5 year olds, so now there is a progression. Kids will be challenged for a very long time as they play, and they should be challenged, so we’re excited to see these different play features be used.”
