With shouts, giggles and a frequently clanging bell, kids gleefully tried new playground equipment dedicated Thursday, Aug. 15, in East Germantown.
It’s just a block north of U.S. 40, next to the Boys & Girls Club of Wayne County’s Wayne Bank Unit, 519 Queen St., and open to kids from across the county and beyond.
The town exceeded its $50,000 fundraising goal to receive a $50,000 match from Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority.
The dozens who attended applauded Sheila Mills for coordinating the campaign and celebrated the countywide fundraising collaboration. East Germantown’s playground is the first of five new playgrounds to be built.
Annastasia Reece, 3 1/2, who lives down the road, helped donors and community leaders cut the ribbon.
“It’s a great asset that will help the community,” said Annastasia’s dad, James Reece. “I think it will bring more families with kids here. It’s opened a whole new world.”
Zion’s Lutheran Church in East Germantown donated $1,000. “It’s important to have a good, safe place for kids to play,” said Pastor Cliff Nunn.
Denise Retz, Richmond’s park superintendent, said playgrounds get kids and adults outside, boost mental and physical health and resiliency after falls, and develop social skills such as conflict resolution and taking turns. She said they also can increase nearby property values as much as 20%.
A version of this article appeared in the August 21 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.