A new playground is coming to the Fox Farm Village subdivision in Bayfield, and after two months of planning, residents’ main task is to gather enough volunteers for the community-build project Oct. 5.
KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit, announced that Fox Farm Village was a playground recipient in August. The project is financially supported by the Colorado Health Foundation. The playground will feature slides, bridges, shaded areas, swings and more. Fox Farm volunteers thought they were just getting a new playground; however, they also developed a new sense of community, one resident said.
“We’ve chosen to be the community that rallies together to make this happen,” said Anjoletta Krug, a volunteer and neighborhood homeowner.
The Fox Farm playground is open to all and close to the 52-unit subdivision, downtown Bayfield, Bayfield Early Education Programs and Bayfield Primary School.
Build week events will take place Oct. 3-5. Volunteers can help complete two days of prep work before the build day, which lasts from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Organizers aim to recruit 150 volunteers for the event.
They are still fundraising for some costs, like pathways compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, tools, bathrooms, some equipment and meals and beverages on build day. Organizers have raised about half of their $2,000 fundraising goal for the costs, said Danial Ciluffo, president of the Fox Farm Village homeowners association.
KaBOOM!, which has built or improved more than 17,000 play spaces nationally, shared task lists, timelines and guidance to help the community members form committees and organize planning.
Kids contributed playground ideas, which included underwater tunnels, trampolines and swings. Residents picked the final design. Planning volunteers drew on their own personal or professional strengths to take on roles like public relations, fundraising and construction planning, Krug said.
“It’s brought us closer as a community,” she said. “We’re able to work alongside each other and get to know each other on a more personal level.”
She has seen kids get excited about the process as well, planning to help fundraise and spread the word door-to-door.
“We’ve got little lawyers running around here and construction workers,” she said. “It gives them a sense of pride.”
Build-day work is available for volunteers of all levels of skill and ability. Youths younger than 14 cannot participate in the build, but they can come for youth activities and child care. More volunteer information can be found at the build event website, https://bit.ly/2mjxZZ1.
smullane@durangoherald.com
