Washburn playground to get new equipment; Local group raising funds for project

Deb Terry has fond memories of going to Thompson’s West End Park as a child and playing on the playground.

The longtime Washburn resident went on to take her kids there, and now her grandkids are playing there, too.

As time passed, however, the equipment has worn out and the playground needs to be replaced, she said.

Terry and other members of the Friends of Thompson’s West End Park are raising money to do just that. Together they are organizing a garage sale scheduled for 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the St. Louis Church Hall.

“The slide is broken, the steps are crooked. The community knows we need this playground,” Terry said.

Thompson’s West End Park and playground has served the community for over 50 years. In order for it to continue doing so safely, the city has approved the design for a new playground with equipment from the Alabama firm Game Time that will be inclusive and ADA compliant, meet current safety standards and promote physical activities.

So far, the friends group has raised roughly $23,000 towards the project that Assistant City Administrator Tony Janisch expects to cost about $100,000. To further help out, the city has borrowed $50,000 towards the project, bringing the total funding to about $75,000. On top of that, the group is seeking local grants. If everything goes according to plan, Janisch said he hopes the project will begin in the summer.