Sensory-rich and inclusive playground opening soon Crosier Park in Hastings

HASTINGS, Neb. — A year in the making - the first inclusive playground in Hastings will soon open to the public.

HASTINGS TO BUILD PLAYGROUND AT CROSIER PARK

Back in October of 2020, the City of Hastings Parks and Recreation Department and the Hastings Community Foundation announced they would be working together to build the inclusive playground at Crosier Park.

Now on Wednesday, Oct. 20, the playground will be open to the public, with a special event on Tuesday, Oct. 19.

The City of Hastings said the United Way of South Central Nebraska’s Adams County Communities for Kids is giving childcare organizations and their children the chance to experience the playground a day early. They say Adams County Communities for Kids has a mission for all early childhood partners to come together to explore, enhance, and improve childcare and educational programs in our county.

“We’re happy to announce the end of Phase 1 of this project, and we’re excited to give our area childcare and early childhood education organizations a chance to kick off the fun at the new playground,” Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Hassenstab said.

“We are very excited to celebrate some of the most essential workers in Adam’s County with a night of fun and laughter together,” Wendy Gwennap, Early Childhood Community Coordinator, said. “A new playground is so exciting and having the honor to open it up to people who pour their heart and soul into children is rewarding. We want providers to know that we see the hard work they are putting in to educate our early childhood kids and that the work they do does not go unnoticed. They need to know they are surrounded by a community that values and supports them.”

They say the inclusive playground enables children of all abilities to engage physically and socially in a supportive and sensory-rich environment. It includes slides, swings, climbing features, interactive spinners and roller tables, accessible ramps, and interactive music features. They say the playground is ideal for children ages 0-12.

WORK UNDERWAY ON INCLUSIVE PLAYGROUND AT CROSIER PARK

Funding for the $850,000 project came from the Parks and Recreation Department's sales tax fund, about $700,000, and from the Hastings Community Foundation’s Key Society, about $100,000, according to the City of Hastings. They say additional funding also came from the John Harrington Memorial Fund, Hastings Noon Rotary, and the Jackie Ortegren Memorial Fund.

HASTINGS TO CLOSE INTERSECTION AT CROSIER PARK TO BUILD PLAYGROUND

According to the City of Hastings, the opening of the playground marks the end of Phase 1 of the project, which included the parking area and playground. They say phase 2, which includes restrooms and a shelter, is expected to break ground in the spring of 2022 with the entire project being completed in the summer of 2022.

Courtesy: City of Hastings