The Kiwanis Club of Liberty County is ready to help the City of Hinesville do something unique for kids with special needs.
The club and the city have agreed on a memorandum of understanding that enables the Kiwanis Club to contribute $70,000 to putting in a playground that is accessible for children with special needs.
“We can’t wait to see this become a reality,” said Robert Kitchings, the Kiwanis Club president.
Kitchings also expressed to city council how excited and appreciative the club is for allowing them to help with the project “to truly make Hinesville a place that is inclusive for all.”
“This is something we’ve been working toward for a long time,” Council member Jason Floyd said. “I don’t think there is any doubt about the desire.”
Kitchings said the push for a special needs playground came from an ESG employee, who had to take his child to Lyons to put him in a swing set he could use.
“There was nowhere in the area for his child to enjoy something we take for granted,” Kitchings said. “That gave us pretty strong inspiration to go out and raise money.”
With the Kiwanis Club’s donation, the city will have $195,000 to spend on an Americans with Disabilities Act interactive and accessible playground, Assistant City Manager Ryan Arnold said. The playground will include a rubberized surface that will allow wheelchairs to be used on it, and the special needs playground will go between the current playground and the pavilion.
“It is our hope this will be a draw for those with special needs,” Arnold said.
The city is using $51,490 from a community development block grant and $73,510 from special purpose local option sales tax proceeds. The playground will be installed between the existing playground and the park’s pavilion, a space of about 100 feet by 35 feet.
“We are excited to see that come to fruition,” Arnold said.
Kiwanis International has a motto of “serving the children of the world,” and each club has a specific mission. The local club, chartered four years ago, struggled with finding its focus on how to do it, Kitchings said, until ESG’s Robert Norby talked to them.
“I think we can do some beautiful things in that area,” Kitchings said.
The city will send out requests for proposals, which is a 30-day process. A selection committee could come back to city council with recommendations as early as mid-January, Arnold said, and an accessible playground could be completed as early as the spring.
The club had about another $1,000 goal to raise for its end when the MOU was brought to council members at their second meeting in November. But Kitchings had confidence they would make the goal.
“We do have strong funding sources,” he said. “We have some of the most amazing people in the world here and we really come together in times of need.”
Mayor Karl Riles said the effort between the Kiwanis Club and the city to fill a gap shows the city’s commitment to partnerships.
“They saw a need in the community, and our town is going to be so much better for that,” he said.
Council members also approved a $26,490 contract with Riceboro’s Daybreak Industrial to make improvements on the Irene B. Thomas Park pavilion. The work includes replacing bathroom partitions, replacing doors and counter tops and adding a baby changing station.
“It is a nice refresh for the pavilion,” Arnold said.
Proceeds from the special purpose local option sales tax will be used to finance the pavilion work.