Federal funding could bring inclusive playground coffers to $2 million

by Judy Stringer

A Hudson group securing funding for Summit County’s first fully inclusive playground –planned for construction at Middleton Park – has raised $1.1 million, organizer Megan Higgins said.

That amount includes a $430,000 grant from the Summit County Department of Developmental Disabilities, earmarked for purchase of the playground equipment; a total of $680,000 from state community investment funds, courtesy of state Sen. Casey Weinstein and state Rep. Kristina Roegner; and donations from Hudson League for Service ($1,200) and employees of Hudson-based Fleet Response Corp. ($2,295).

“And then our [U.S.] Congresswoman Emilia Sykes is working on getting $850,000,” said Higgins, who started the Hudson Inclusive Playground Committee. “We will find out about that in August.”

According to Higgins, the $430,000 Summit County DD grant will cover the cost of the main play structure, which has ramping at every level to be fully accessible, in addition to swings, music chimes, spinning chairs, a teeter-totter, a two-person zipline and a rope-climbing area.

The remaining funds will be used on infrastructure improvements. Higgins said the existing playground at Middleton, which is at the back of the property, will be removed and replaced with an open field. The new playground will be built at the front of the property. Other changes to the site include a larger parking lot and family-style, ADA accessible restrooms.

“There’s currently no plumbing, or water, or electricity there, so they need to bring all of that in, and they are going to have to level all of the land at the front. It’s a huge undertaking,” she said, adding that total project costs have been estimated around $3 million.

The baseball field at the park will remain.

“We would also like to see a pavilion as part of this first phase, but we are still speaking with the [Hudson] Park Board on whether it should be like a hard-top pavilion or just something like a fabric-shade pavilion,” Higgins said.

With government grants in hand, Higgins and her team are turning their focus to corporate donations and sponsorships. She said preliminary estimates suggest $600,000 will be needed for playground surfacing alone. The committee also has its sights on “phase two” playground additions such as an accessible merry-go-round and a wheelchair swing.

Much farther “down the road,” Higgins said the committee envisions other inclusive park elements such as a Miracle League baseball field and accessible walking trails.

“Right now, we are focused on phase one with a goal to break ground the summer of 2025,” she said. 

For information or to donate, visit playhudson.org. ∞

Photo: Megan Higgins enjoys an accessible swing, called the Friendship Swing, with her daughter Isabella at the Walnut Grove playground in Canfield. Similar equipment is planned for a fully inclusive park slated for construction at Middleton Park. Photo submitted.