FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 6/24/2015
Contact: Todd Cohen, o: 303.226.4530 c: 303-503-9068, tcohen@goco.org, or
Laura Cardon, 303-226-4531, lcardon@goco.org
Counties: Weld and Grand
GOCO grants bring new ADA-approved playgrounds to Colorado communities
Greeley and Fraser receive over $400,000 to build accessible parks
DENVER — Communities in desperate need of upgraded playgrounds will soon offer two new parks for children of all abilities thanks in part grants approved Thursday by the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Board of Trustees. Playgrounds will incorporate accessible options for families with children of all abilities.
The City of Greeley was awarded $327,450 for Aven’s Village at Island Grove, the complex that also plays host to the county fair, Greeley Stampede, and a variety of music festivals. The new playground will serve the over half a million visitors Island Grove sees each year, in addition to improving the surrounding neighborhood’s access to outdoor recreation.
Twenty-two-year-old equipment will be replaced by a universally accessible playground. Design plans include signs with Braille and large print, a sensory garden and maze, a variety of textures and grades that are all wheelchair-accessible, and wheelchair transfer stations at every slide.
In the mountain town of Fraser, the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) looks forward to increased and improved programming thanks to a $97,835 grant from GOCO. The Fraser Valley Sports Complex playground will include 35 ADA-approved components, making it the only ADA-compliant playground in Grand County.
These grants support Governor John Hickenlooper's Colorado Beautiful initiative by identifying and filling critical gaps in connectivity for trails and open spaces, and GOCO’s new “Protect, Connect, Inspire” strategic plan, which focuses on land preservation, trails, and encouraging more youth to get outdoors.
GOCO is presently seeking applicants for its new Inspire Initiative, which offers between $1 million to $5 million in grants to selected communities to encourage kids to have more outdoor experiences. The program focuses on creating outdoor destinations like parks, improving access to outdoor location through new or improved trails, and expanding existing youth programs that introduce kids to the great outdoors. For more information on the initiative, visit goco.org/inspire.
Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers and open spaces. GOCO’s independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts, and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created when voters approved a Constitutional Amendment in 1992, GOCO has since funded more than 4,500 projects in urban and rural areas in all 64 counties without any tax dollar support. Visit goco.org for more information.