Fundraising drive underway to complete new playground
The need for a new playground has led Highlands town board members to look for potential funding avenues, including a call for public support.
Commissioner Brian Stiehler was made aware of an anonymous pledge of $50,000 to replace the current playground at the Highlands Rec Park on 4th Street back in 2023 and led the charge to start a steering committee with the mission of making a new playground a reality.
“What we are trying to do is replace the current playground with something much more modern, inclusive, and accessible,” Stiehler said. “I offered to chair the playground committee and when commissioner (Jeff) Weller was elected in November he joined me as co-chair. We have received a lot of feedback about the current playground and a lot of people are excited about what the new playground will be.”
Along with the $50,000 donation, Stiehler noted that the town has worked with the Southwestern Commission to apply for a North Carolina Parks And Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) grant. The grant application is for $500,000.
“This is a big project and we are fortunate to have the Southwestern Commission here to help us with the grant process,” Stiehler said. “Having an organization with their track record is a big boost when it comes to getting your grant application considered.”
The total cost to replace the current playground with a larger state-of-the-art playground is roughly $1.6 million. After the PARTF grant, a town contribution, and the anonymous donation, Stiehler estimates that the committee is going to need to raise roughly $600,000.
He noted that the playground committee is working with other local organizations to put a unique Highlands stamp on the new facility.
“If you look at the renderings the centerpiece of the new playground is a giant salamander that the kids can play on,” Stiehler said. “In the plans, you can see that the new playground will be quite a bit larger and it will use the natural slopes of the land. There will be a slide that looks like a hollowed-out log, and there will be interactive components to teach kids about the native plants and animals of Highlands. We are going to work with the experts at the Highlands Biological Station to build those.”
Steihler hopes to have the funds raised for the new playground by later this year so construction can begin in the spring of 2025. Anyone who would like more information, or to donate to the playground project, can call Stiehler at 828-787-2778.