Grant to provide innovative play opportunities along shared use trails

Manchester’s new River Raisin Park will be one of the sites of equipment in the “Run, Experience, Play, Manchester” project.

The Manchester Village Parks Commission was the recipient of a unique grant that is designed to provide “free play” opportunities that will engage kids and adults as they traverse the shared use trail system through the village.

The KaBOOM! Grant, funded in part by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, will provide $41,000 to purchase the equipment. KaBOOM! is a national non-profit, dedicated to giving all kids the childhood they deserve through good, safe places to play. This endowment will be matched by cash and in-kind contributions by the community of about $37,000, according to Village Manager Jeff Wallace.

“We really want to involve the community and civic groups in this,” Wallace explained. “We also hope to join with the Walk to School program, Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation, the library, and the 5 Healthy Towns Foundation, among others, to help us implement this project. We are just starting to get the word out about this great program.”

Sites along the trails will include Chi-Bro, River Raisin, and Wurster Parks, sidewalk games near the Hibbard/Main areas of the trail, and at the library. Some other activities will include a solar stopwatch at Chi-Bro for “racing” along the asphalt-surfaced trail, a “Friendship Symphony” of varied musical instruments near the library; benches and play equipment at multiple sites, and binoculars for viewing the River Raisin at the new River Raisin Park.

Leslie Kiesel, who worked to help develop ideas and write the grant, was heavily involved in the planning stages with Village staff and administration. She explained that the intent of the KaBOOM! Play Everywhere grant is to “inspire kids to play every day and incorporate play into their normal routines by bringing play to unexpected but everyday spaces.”

Kiesel added, “I believe the ‘Run, Experience, Play Manchester’ submission had an edge (in the grant process) because we paired it with the new walking path that goes from the district library through town. The concept has five stops along the way, starting at the library and ending at Wurster Park. It draws kids to experience different parts of town through various forms of play.”

The stations are not large but each one will provide a number of fun, new ways to engage children and adults alike to be more active as part of their daily routines. Kiesel believes that it’s “a bonus” that the project will invite the community to utilize the great walking paths implemented in recent years.

Wallace credits Village staff members Julie Schaible and Jessica Clark for their early enthusiasm for the project, and KaBOOM! Community Outreach Coordinator Casey Paskus, who was the initial contact for learning about the grant.

“Julie and Jessica really encouraged me to look seriously at this opportunity,” he said. “And their support has really carried it along. I also found Casey to be very helpful in giving us ideas and encouragement to bring this project to fruition.”

Now named, “Run, Experience, Play Manchester,” the grant project will add more creative play to the active spaces that have been added to the community recently. When completed this spring and summer, it will further enhance the parks as well as other areas of the village and help bring people to the community with its focus on keeping residents active and healthy year-around.

For as little as $1 a month, you can keep Manchester-focused news coverage alive.

by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.