There is some exciting news about playground equipment being built in Platteville within the next year. This project is called the Inclusive Playground Project and it is in the planning stages of construction in Smith Park, one of the many parks in Platteville. 

This playground will consist of many recreational obstacles and courses for kids of all ages. The Platteville Common Council is hoping that this will be a place for families and children of all abilities to have fun.

The IPP will be voted on by the council next week and then go into the building stage. The project currently has three potential designs for the park.

The Exponent recently interviewed Barbara Daus, the president of the council, about her take on the project and when she thinks it will be approved. 

She said, “I think that the project will go through and will be approved to be built soon.”  

She agrees with the project’s plan and is willing to vote on the approval of the project with a good feeling that the council give have full support to the project as well. She added that the support of the Inclusive Park Project Group on Facebook will help to improve the chances of it going through. 

The group wants to connect with the community and receive more feedback on the location of the park within Smith Park. The group has already received plenty of good feedback and thoughts on the project and has sought more support for the group’s final decision about where the park will be. 

If the council allows community support on the construction, the IPPG encourages the community to participate. 

The IPP is estimated to cost about $1 million in funds for the park to be built and fitted with the selected design. One topic that was brought up in the Oct. 26 Common Council meeting was the inability to accept donations until they have confirmed the location and are ready to begin fundraising. 

On Oct. 18, the Platteville Parks, Forestry, and Recreation Committee voted to officially support the Inclusive Park Project and are in favor of Smith Park as the project’s preferred location.

Many parks around Platteville were considered as potential sites for the new park including Prairie View Park, Harrison Park, Valley View Park and Mound View Park. 

However, these parks were not recommended due to challenges with terrain, parking, bathroom facilities, parental concerns and more. 

Legion Park had been closely considered for the IPP.

Some pros of the playground being built in Legion Park are accessible bathrooms, off-street parking, the hub of summer activity and potential access to Trust Funds to assist the project. 

The cons of the playground being built in Legion Park are that some might feel that parking is already a challenge with current activities and that green space is limited. 

With these considerations, building at Legion Park would come with extra costs for expanding the parking lot to accommodate space for people to park, which would cost around $150,000 to $200,000 as well as installing new changing tables in each restroom, which would cost $12,000 to install in the current bathrooms.

The project is going to be discussed more in the next meeting on Nov. 2 to potentionally go onto the next phase of the project.