The Township of Springfield was awarded a $40,000 grant from the Union County Kids Recreation Trust Fund and a $8,000 grant from Greening Union County by the Union County Board of County Commissioners. Mayor Richard Huber commented, “The Township very much appreciates these annual grants which go a long way toward enhancing our parks and beautifying our community.”
The Township is matching the $40,000 Kids Recreation Trust Fund grant with another $40,000 to finance the installation of a brand new playground at Henshaw Park to replace the structure that was removed earlier this year. The Springfield Recreation Department is installing modern and interactive playground elements appropriate for children 5-12 such as a Viper Slide, Mesa Climber, Linx Levitate Climber, Verto Climber, and Leaf Climber. For shade from the sun, a Shade Play Canopy is included in the project. The structure will also feature accessible ground-play elements such as an Acorn Panel, Spinner Crescent Panel, and Synergy Bench. According to Adam Lieb, Director of Recreation, “We’re really proud to return a fun playground structure to Henshaw Park and to continue the park improvements that we’ve been making around town every year. From what I’m hearing from families in that neighborhood, they are excited for their kids to enjoy the new playground as soon as it’s built in the spring.”
The Department of Public Works will use its $8,000 grant award to plant trees throughout Springfield. “I would like to thank the Greening Union County grant program for the matching grant for tree plantings within our community. Programs such as these greatly contribute to the preservation of our tree canopies which benefits all residents,” said Keith Decker, the Township’s Forrester.
Matching grants from the Kids Recreation Trust Fund are distributed to municipalities across Union County that are looking to upgrade or build recreational facilities for children and families. Funds from the Greening Union County grant award help the Township offset the cost of planting trees throughout Springfield. Since its inception in 2004, the Kids Recreation Trust Fund has provided Union County communities with $20+ million in funding.
JLAW