For Immediate Release
May 11, 2023
The Wellmark Foundation Donates $100,000 Match for East Play Park
Mobridge, SD--The Wellmark Foundation has announced a generous pledge of up to $100,000 in matching funds to help Mobridge Community Development Corporation and the City of Mobridge purchase and install new, inclusive playground equipment at the east municipal play park at the corner of 9th Ave E and 2nd St E. “We are so excited to partner with The Wellmark Foundation to provide an updated park where youth in Mobridge–and especially in our southeast neighborhood–can enjoy safe, active play,” said MCDC Board President Haden Merkel.
MCDC and the City have a shared vision to transform the current park space into a safe, inclusive space for all Mobridge children. The design will feature an inclusive play system that every child–including those who use mobility or sensory aides–can enjoy. It will be the first park equipment of this kind in the City. MCDC is providing an in-kind donation of $5,000 in planning and community engagement for the project and has requested an in-kind donation from the City for site preparation. The goal is to design the park with residents around a placemaking theme that inspires neighborhood pride and celebrates our unique community.
A few months ago, MCDC received initial renderings from two different playground vendors and posted them on Facebook with a request for preliminary feedback. They were challenged by commenters to make the final project more inclusive than the original renderings, and they are taking that to heart. “We want to make sure youth who use physical or sensory aides and their loved ones are drivers of the process from the beginning,” says Merkel, “Every child deserves a safe place to play where they feel included, heard, and welcomed.”
MCDC will be welcoming public feedback in-person and online throughout the summer and wants to make sure all community members have plenty of ways they can get involved. Online options will include a general survey of community adults to identify current use patterns and public perceptions of the east play park and a kid-friendly ‘Pick Your Park’ game-style survey aimed at capturing playground equipment preferences of the real experts–area youth ages 2 and up. They have also scheduled five in-person events at the park this summer 5/18, 5/29, 6/11, 7/2, and 8/11, starting with a family-friendly grill-out at the park next Thursday, 5/18 from 5:30-6:30.
For more information on ways you can get involved, please visit MCDC on Facebook, the project webpage, email hello@mobridgecdc.org, or call/text Haden at 605-848-9048.