The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
West Side Park is covered with a heavy blanket of snow at the moment, but hopes are that when the white stuff goes away, the planned equipment update for the park will begin and give Carrington children and adults an improved recreation experience.
The west side of Carrington is about to get more fun; once the weather straightens out, that is.
The city-owned park located at 202 15th Avenue North in Carrington, now known as "West Side Park," is on the cusp of a major update.
Planning and fund-raising for the project, led by the Carrington Area Healthy Communities Coalition, has been ongoing for about a year now. New playground equipment was purchased for the park at a cost of $104,000, paid for by grants and donations. The equipment was delivered in July 2022, and fundraising efforts continued.
Just last month, a sizable donation helped the committee reach another key milestone.
A $15,000 contribution arrived from the Tevye Charitable Fund, part of the Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund in March. Coalition president Michele Seil said that with this donation there are now adequate funds available to install the new playground equipment in the park. The installation is expected to cost $49,561.
The plan is to install the new equipment early this summer. Once the installation crew arrives, it will take about a week to get it in position and ready for use by youngsters.
The existing playground equipment in the park will need to be removed before the new play structures can be installed. Seil said they prefer to either have someone purchase the equipment for reuse or have it recycled.
Readers interested in purchasing or recycling the old equipment or helping with removal can contact Seil by phone at (701)652-3921 during library hours, email healthycarrington@gmail.com or follow/message Carrington Healthy Communities Coalition on social media.
Fundraising continues to complete the final phase of the project, the addition of a single-stall (family) bathroom. The cost of the new restroom is estimated to be around $30,000, and is expected to be a well-used addition to the park.
"The west side of town doesn't have any public facilities, and we felt it was important to include a bathroom," Seil said. "Little people just can't always wait!"
The park is located at the corner of 15th Avenue and 2nd Street North, two blocks directly north of Northern Plains Electric Cooperative.
Major sponsors of the West Side Park renovation project include Garrison Diversion Conservancy District, Otter Tail Corporation Foundation, North Dakota Community Foundation, BlueCross Blue Shield of North Dakota, Carrington Community Endowment Fund, New Rockford Eagles and Fetch's Five Spot. Each contributed $5,000 or more towards the project.
