Uptown Columbus needs $250,000 to “Keep the Kids Playing” and kicks off fundraiser
Uptown Columbus Inc. needs your help to “Keep the Kids Playing.”
Uptown has launched the “Keep the Kids Playing” fundraising campaign, seeking donations to pay for improvements at the Bay Avenue Playground in downtown Columbus. Uptown hopes to raise $250,000 to install a new floor and shade structures.
The park, owned and operated by Uptown Columbus, Inc. was built in 2016 and is free and open to children of all ages.
“We’re a nonprofit organization. So if we’re not able to raise the funds, we’re not able to make the improvements,” said Tracy Green, director of communications and marketing for Uptown. “ A lot of times people think that this is a city playground because many of the playgrounds in the community are city owned. But this one is not.”
The playground floor is a rubber surface designed to absorb falls. Uptown has patched the floor twice over the last three years, but needs to now replace it because it’s at the end of its useful life. Uptown says it needs $100,000 to replace it.
Uptown also would like to add shade structures to the playground.
“So over the last couple of years, we’ve been told by many moms that the equipment here in the summertime gets very hot. Of course, due to the sun and the playground not being shaded,” said Tracey Green, of Uptown Columbus, “So we’ve looked at putting in structures over some of the equipment.”
Installing those shade structures will cost about $150,000, Green said.
“There will be multiple shading structures that would be installed across the play areas depending on what the contractor thinks is the best,” Green said, “We have renderings and proposals from other engineers, and we’re looking at several structures to be placed throughout the playground.
Green said they hope to install a goal board so people can see how much money Uptown’s raising, and have a QR code at the playground people can scan that’ll take them to Uptown’s website to donate.
“We just hope that the community supports this, this fundraiser and that we can make these improvements,” Green said.
Donors can make tax-deductible contributions to the project by visiting www.alwaysuptown.com or by texting “KidsPlayUptown” to 44321.
