HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – A month ago, the City of Hopkinsville announced that work had officially begun on Rotary Park at Pardue Lane. First steps included pouring the park’s first sidewalk, paving the way for the inclusive playground that will be built in the greenspace. Visible progress can be seen at the construction site, with crews moving dirt and preparing the area.
Hopkinsville Public Works Director Mike Perry shared an update on the status of construction with Christian County Now. As of April 23, Southwinds Contracting is continuing to work on sidewalks and planting trees. Perry said that excavation and preparation for the playground area also started this week, and soon crews will move on to electrical work to install lights along the sidewalk.
“Rotary Park is set to become a vibrant destination for outdoor recreation, gathering, and enjoyment,” said a previous statement from the city. “Every step forward brings us closer to creating a park that will serve as an accessible place for families, friends, and visitors to connect and enjoy the outdoors.”
To condense costs, it was decided by the Hopkinsville City Council to break the project into two phases, with crews only tackling the southside portion for now. This includes the inclusive playground, a pavilion, sidewalks, and benches. This would delay the smaller northside portion of the park including the basketball court, parking lot, and additional pavilion and sidewalk developments.
Playground costs, crowdfunding efforts
Plans for the park were finalized back in February of 2024, with discussions and planning for the project spanning over a year before construction began in March. In November 2024 the Hopkinsville City Council settled on a way to secure additional funding for the development by allocating $436,003 of unused FEMA funds to the budget for the park from the storms in March of 2023.
Josh Wagner, a representative with Miracle of Kentucky and Tennessee spoke at the Dec. 3 Hopkinsville City Council meeting to share design plans for the proposed 13,000 square foot inclusive and accessible playground. It will feature a sensory play area, music stations, swings, plenty of shade, clear sight lines, and tranquility areas where over stimulated kids can decompress.
The Hopkinsville City Council applied for a $100,000 grant that would help purchase tire derived crumb rubber for the playground. This unique material helps promote the use of recycled waste tires. The maximum grant award amount is $100,000, with the city required to match 25% of the funds up to $25,000 if accepted.
Rotary Club of Hopkinsville previously donated $100,000 specifically for the development of the playground, and it was estimated that additional fundraising will be necessary to cover all costs. This year Rotary established a Facebook page dedicated to raising money for the Rotary Park Inclusive & Accessible Playground.
Each week, they feature a child that will benefit from having an accessible playground nearby. Businesses like The Crusty Pig have showed their support by donating a portion of their sales on certain days to go toward the playground. Through these additional efforts, people are able to make donations in honor of specific individuals, or as a regular donation in support of the playground on the Hopkinsville Rotary Playground website.
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