Help us reach our goal of $480,000 for the build of Phase 2b by Summer 2024. Click below to give online or mail checks to:
Trinity Community Park
c/o Tamara Schwarz
17750 Knollwood Drive
Monument, CO 80132
Students from Palmer Ridge high School Digital Media department documented our build day on Saturday, September 23rd. Check out the highlights from the day here!
Kids in our neighborhood have no place to play. Founded in 1985, Trinity was once surrounded by farmland. Now, we’re surrounded by new developments. The nearest park is almost two miles away, over a freeway without sidewalks on a busy state highway. Still, there is no ADA-compliant park in the area. Recently, neighborhood kids have been using the church parking lot to ride bikes or scooters and play, especially since the pandemic began. We once had a playground, but we had to tear it down because it was becoming a safety hazard due to its age. The parking lot or a dusty gravel pit is all the neighborhood kids had.
We can fix that! Phase 1: Given that our church has several acres of land not being used, a few Trinity members aspired to build an accessible playground suitable for all abilities. So, we challenged our congregation to fund it, and successfully raised over $50,000. To save money, over 50 volunteers help build Phase 1 with a general contractor and a civil engineer donating their time and equipment. Thanks to our sponsors: Ehrhardt Construction, Infinite Disposal, Big R and the Arneson Foundation in making this a reality. Trinity Community Park includes a swing set, tire swing, ADA swing, toddler swing, spring toy, and a large climbing structure. In addition to the playground, we have built a wheelchair-friendly exercise and walking path for people of all ages, including senior citizens, and a free little library. Phase 1 was fully operational in summer 2022. While it has a few items that are ADA compliant, we have learned there is a much larger need.
Monument needs a fully ADA-compliant playground. According to the ADA, an accessible playground must contain "an accessible path from the building or parking lot to the edge of the play area, an accessible path from the edge of the play area to the play equipment, plus surfacing that complies with ASTM F1951 specifications" (U.S. Access Board, n.d.). Additionally, a person needs to be able to access the equipment once they are in the play area by transferring out of their mobility device or directly accessing a play structure in their mobility device. The 2020 Census found that hundreds of Monument residents under age 65 have serious disabilities (United States Census Bureau, 2020). According to the Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services, the closest universally accessible public playground to Monument is over 10 miles away. A park similar to our Phase 2 proposal is over 30 miles away. We plan to build Phase 2 with ADA-compliant ramps and surfacing, accessible swings, a wheelchair-accessible trail, a wheelchair-accessible merry go round, sensory elements and so much more.
Thank you for your help. We are seeking $480,000 to complete Phase 2 in the form of grants as well as corporate, small business, and private funding. ADA requirements are not enough; being inclusive and diverse for all is more important. It’s not just about people with disabilities, it’s about everyone enjoying and sharing the benefits of play: physical, sensory and social. Inclusive playgrounds go beyond regular guidelines, they facilitate engagement between children. An accessible playground means that a child who uses a wheelchair can get into it. If it is inclusive, then the play activities have been selected and laid out so that someone in a chair can engage with people of different abilities while they play. This will be a place where a senior citizen and a grandchild can play together…creating unity!
We are dedicated to this crucial project in our community and to the children of today and tomorrow. We ask for your assistance in realizing our goals.
To donate or for more information, contact Tamara Schwarz at tamara@trinitymonument.org or 719-351-0179.
We have identified a substantial demand for a fully accessible inclusive playground in Northern El Paso County. Phase 1 is complete and open to the public and we are now seeking support for Phase 2. We are committed to this crucial project in our community and for all children of today and tomorrow. We are requesting your partnership in realizing our inclusivity and safety goals. Making Phase 2 a reality in summer of 2023 creates a close, safe, inclusive play area for our children, adults and their families. Together we can build a park that is inclusive, diverse and unite everyone to play together. More than 50,000 people in Northern El Paso County live in close proximity to the park. The pandemic has taught us how crucial it is for kids to have a safe, healthy outdoor facility to play. We are committed to this project’s success in our community and to the safe development of our children today and tomorrow. We need your assistance in realizing our goals.
Please see the last page of this document for potential giving levels.
Trinity Community Park opens!
We the congregation of Trinity Lutheran Church, acknowledge and honor the Cheyenne, the Apache, the Ute and the Ocethi Sakowin peoples, upon whose ancestral homelands we gather. We give thanks for their presence here since time immemorial and their nurture and care for this land. We also wish to recognize and honor all our Indigenous siblings who have and continue to care for this land and call it their home.