Construction of the Rotary Natural Play Hill near downtown Moorhead is expected to be complete by this fall.
Nancy Edmonds Hanson
Playgrounds have been making bold headlines here in Moorhead this week, with big news both downtown and on the south side of the city.
On Monday, the Moorhead City Council authorized the Parks and Recreation Department to move forward with the Inclusive Playground, a play area first dreamed up by parents of children with mobility issues. It will take shape near the administrative and restroom facility at Southwest Regional Park located at 2000 40th Ave. S.
And today – Thursday – hundreds of donors will be on hand to witness the ground-breaking for the Rotary Natural Play Hill and Bike Park on the river front near First Avenue North downtown.
The two future parks represent developments totaling nearly $2 million – landmark private and public investments in healthy, creative outdoor play for all the community’s children.
Rotary Play Hill is a natural
Funded entirely by private donors, the Rotary Natural Play Hill and Bike Park got off the ground Thursday as donors and supporters broke ground for the $1.27 million children’s wonderland along First Avenue North in Moorhead.
The Play Hill is the latest project funded through the FM Rotary Foundation, a charitable organization supported by the five Rotary clubs in Fargo-Moorhead. Unique in that it spans a state boundary and three cities, the foundation has completed several other projects over the past 20 years, including an inclusive playground at Fargo’s Lindenwood Park and the Miracle Field, a T-ball sized baseball field at Southwest Regional Park for children with special mobility needs.
More than 250 Rotarians and other individuals and businesses have contributed more than $1 million to date to construct the play area, where children will enjoy unstructured imaginative play overlooking the Red River on one of the area’s rare hillsides. The play elements – formed from tree trunks, lumber, rocks and other natural material rather than plastics and metal – include a 26-foot-high tree house with a rope bridge to a second tower, a zip line, tunnels, play mounds, balance beams, climbing areas and nets. A separate area is designed to build their bicycle skills on a challenging track that meanders through the 1.25-acre site formerly known as Riverfront Park.
Heather Ranck, who chairs the 20-member steering committee of members from all five clubs, says members are still making contacts to cover the $219,000 funding gap. “Back in 2019, when we took on this project, the estimated cost was $700,000,” she observes. Inflation plus unexpected site-preparation costs have caused the total to balloon to a goal she still believes is achievable.
In addition to gifts and five-year pledges by more than 100 Rotarians, the campaign has received support from a long list of local businesses and individuals. Among major contributions received to date at $250,000 from the Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau; another $250,000 by the foundation of John Ballantyne, one of the founders of Aldevron; $100,000 from Scheels; $50,000 from the Sanford Health Foundation; and $30,000 from the Pachel Foundation of Duluth, with which Rotary District Governor Kay Biga is associated.
The ground-breaking ceremony is set for 4 p.m. Thursday, followed by a social hour at the nearby River Haven Event Center.
Inclusive Playground – Fun for kids with special needs
Parents of children with special needs got good news at Monday’s Moorhead City Council meeting. After five years of research, discussion and advocacy, their proposal for an Inclusive Playground at Southside Regional Park was endorsed by the city leaders, who authorized the Parks and Recreation Department to proceed with construction of the long-awaited play area.
The playground – equipped with special features to provide a safe place where children of all abilities can play together – has been under discussion since it was prioritized by the Park Advisory Board as part of its strategic planning process and approved by the city in 2019. Parent Jen Troska, dubbed the “project champion,” has worked with other parents and city staff in the intervening years to find funds for the project.
The cost of constructing the playground is estimated at a little more than $500,000, downsized from the initial plan for $1 million, along with $38,000 for underground drainage work. Developed by Dakota Playground, the local dealer for Landscape Structures, the final design includes a concrete base with a rubber surface that makes it easier for wheelchairs to roll on, along with play equipment that is both sensory and physically challenging.
Parks director Holly Heitkamp told the council that a total of $429,201 has been raised from a variety of sources, including $53,201 from private organizations and individuals. Major gifts of $10,000 have come from the Moorhead Kiwanis Club, the Jeromy Brown Family Fund, and Kevin VanDyke and the Horace Mann Company. Other funding includes $345,525 from the American Rescue Plan Act, the 2023 park amenities – playground fund, and several internal sources. The playground is a sub-fund of the Moorhead Community Fund, held by the FM Area Foundation.
