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Ground Breaking, Check Presentation Feb. 18 for Angie’s Playground
New ‘Inclusive Playground’
To be Built at Manion Park
** UPDATED
With bitter cold weather that is forecasted for next week the decision has been made to re-schedule the groundbreaking and check presentation ceremony to Thursday, March 18th at 2:00 p.m. the location will remain the same at Manion Park located at 170 Manion Park Drive.
After many years of planning, Mayor Tim Lowery, members of Accessible Play, Inc. and Unlimited Play, Inc announced a ground breaking and check presentation ceremony for the Angie’s Inclusive Playground on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. at Manion Park, 170 Manion Park Drive.
In October of 2008, a small group of Florissant residents led by Gary Behlmann came together to form Accessible Play, Inc., a non-profit corporation with an interest in building an inclusive playground in Florissant. In 2011, Florissant passed an ordinance to allow Accessible Play, Inc. the use of Manion Park as the site that would be known as Angie’s Playground. In 2017, the city began applying for a St. Louis County Municipal Park grant to begin the process of turning Manion Park into a park that could accommodate an Inclusive Playground.
Thus in 2018, a new enlarged parking area and water retention work was completed. In 2019, a new larger accessible restroom and seating areas were added. The city is now entering the construction phase of the playground with an anticipated completion date sometime in late June of 2021.
This Inclusive Playground will be for all children in Florissant and in North County. a first of its kind in the area. It will be specially designed to remove physical and social barriers so all children, with or without disabilities and/or critical illnesses, can play side by side with their peers and families.
Unlimited Play, Inc. is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization that helps to plan, design, and build fully accessible playgrounds. Unlimited Play playgrounds allow all children- regardless of their abilities – to play together. For more information and if you want to help and make a monetary donation or donate any goods or services such as concrete, fencing, shrubs, etc. visit their website at www.unlimitedplay.org.
Due to the mandates that were issued by the St. Louis County Executive, masks will be required and social distancing guidelines enforced. The ceremony will be on Facebook live and all of the city’s social media outlets.
