Edwardsville City Council Meeting
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EDWARDSVILLE – Every child in the Edwardsville area, regardless of their ability, will soon have a new place to play.
The Edwardsville City Council approved the installation of a new all-abilities playground after hearing passionate public comments from three family and community members last week.
First to address the aldermen was Grace Morrison, who emphasized how important this playground would be for her cousin, Henry.
“I’m supporting the playground for kids in wheelchairs, like my cousin, Henry,” Grace said. “It’s really sad when Henry has to watch us play, and so that is why I want one.”
Another supporter, Madison, underscored the need for more accessible playgrounds in the city.
“I have a brother who’s in a wheelchair, and he can’t use a lot of the playgrounds here in Edwardsville, so it would be really nice if he could come and have somewhere to play in Edwardsville too,” she said.
Carrie Morrison outlined why this playground would not only be meaningful to her family – including Grace, Madison, and Henry – but to all children in the area.
“My grandson is in a wheelchair and he has special needs, and we have to go to Highland in order for him to go to the playground,” Carrie said. “My grandchildren, every time we get together, they want to raise money for a playground for Henry.”
Thanking the council for their consideration, she added: “It’s not just my grandson, there’s a lot of children that need an all-accessible playground.”
Aldermen unanimously approved a resolution authorizing Mayor Art Risavy to sign a contract with Cunningham Recreation to install a new all-abilities playground on the N.O. Nelson campus of Lewis and Clark Community College in Edwardsville.
The playground will be built on a 75-by-100-foot parcel of land on the southwestern end of campus, just north of Nickel Plate Station and near the Madison County Transit (MCT) Nike Plate Trail and Leclaire baseball field.
A maximum of $600,000 has been allocated for the new playground installation, none of which will be taken from the city’s existing tax revenue, as Alderman William Krause noted. Instead, the project is being funded through the Edwardsville Community Foundation’s “Kriege Fund,” which was made possible by a generous $1.35 million donation from the family of David Kriege earlier this year.
Kriege’s only requirement was that the donation be used “to improve upon the quality of life in Edwardsville.” Krause said he feels the all-abilities playground is a fitting use of the funds.
“I think it really honors that fund and what he would want that money to go to,” Krause said. “It will look and blend very well with the Lewis and Clark Community [College] campus.”
Alderman SJ Morrison said there are “six very special kids who have been lobbying me for years now, trying to get an all-abilities playground for their brother and cousin – my nephew, Henry.”
“This is a community that wants everybody to feel included, and a community where all kids, regardless of their abilities, should have a safe and fun place to play,” Morrison added.
The newly approved all-abilities playground marks one of three recreation projects the city has planned with the donated funds, with plans for two new parks also approved this past summer.
A full recording of the Edwardsville City Council meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
