A new playground is now in Ybor City's Cuscaden Park thanks to a group of community volunteers.
On October 22nd, approximately 300 volunteers worked for seven hours on the playground, adding equipment for school-aged children including an inclined cliff hanger, a rope and vine climber and two new slides.
“
Cuscaden Park had some play equipment for older children, but no play structure for the many school-aged children who come to the park,'' says Karen Palus, director of the
City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department. "The playground now has lots of fun components for children, including several for children with special needs.”
Designed by children in the neighborhood with the assistance of professional playground designers from
KaBOOM!, city staff prepped the site prior to volunteer involvement, mixing 12,560 pounds of concrete and adding 2,500 square feet of playground space. During the build, volunteers moved 43,740 square feet of safety surfacing -- enough to cover nearly 10 NBA-sized basketball courts.
“Playgrounds provide an opportunity for families to spend quality time together and get to know other families in their community,” says Palus. “The new playground will offer this neighborhood an improved place to play and gather while increasing capacity so more children can safely play together at any one time.”
The
Friends of Tampa Recreation contributed $8,500 toward the Cuscaden Park playground project.
For more information on Cuscaden Park, visit the
official website. To learn more about volunteer opportunities such as these, contact Karen Palus at (813) 274-8615.
Writer:
Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Karen Palus,
City of Tampa Parks and Recreation
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.