Beans for Bags: Jefferson Universal Movement PLayground
Where are your Beans for Bags donations going this month?
JUMP! Jefferson Universal Movement Playground formed in 2016 when 3 preschoolers were entering Chimacum Creek Primary school that were not yet walking. Sarah Grossman, the physical therapist working with these children, had proposed a new pre-school playground to the school principal. Although there was support to pursue this, ultimately there was no funding for it. Encouraged to pursue grant funding, Sarah decided to look for a Community Playground that could benefit all the kids of Jefferson County. She asked her colleagues and parents of some of the children to assist her in pursuing this and JUMP! came together to build a new playground at HJ Carroll Park. The County Parks and Recreation department was an eager supporter, but again had no funds to support the project. JUMP! found a fiscal sponsor in 2017 with the Mike Beery Memorial Foundation, and at that time could begin fundraising with 501c3 status. In 2019, JUMP! surpassed the $100,000 fundraising mark with an incredibly generous donation of $50,000 from a local couple who wish to remain anonymous. That fundraising amount along with Community Support has led to the County pursuing a state RCO (Recreation Conservation Office) grant that can provide up to $500,000. These grants are available every other year, and are extremely competitive. JUMP! and County Parks and Rec are working together to raise more funds so that the match of $500,000 will bring the newly designed playground (estimated cost around $1,000,000) to reality in 2021. The newly designed playground has been designed with access for all and distinct play areas that will challenge and stimulate all children. It is being designed with Ida Ottesen of Nakano Associates in order to incorporate more natural elements and local art into the project. The total cost includes site preparation, installation of playground equipment, accessible surfacing, accessible seating and pathways, handicapped parking, fencing, landscaping and sustainable design practices.
JUMP! has nearly $120,000 in the bank with a $15,000 commitment from Jefferson Healthcare and a $50,000 commitment from the Mike Beery fund, bringing funds to $185,000. JUMP! is pursuing an $80,000-100,000 grant with the Norcliffe Foundation and other smaller grants. We will still need another $100,000-200,000 depending on the scope of the project and whether or not we develop it into a Phase I and II project. We submit our application to the State by May 1st and do a final presentation in person to the State board in August, 2020. Ranked lists are approved in October 2020 and Grant Moneys are awarded in June 2021, with potential groundbreaking in late summer and grand opening of the park in the Fall of 2021
We invite everyone to our Community Forum to see the plans, vote on likes/dislikes and potential phasing of design. Part of the RCO grant process (Points award system) includes Community Support. The Finnriver event is our opportunity to show the state grant board that we have the support for this project. Please bring all of your family to this event and partake in our Community Photo shoot at 1:00 pm at Finnriver on Feb 29th. We need more funding and if anyone can help with donations or direct us toward a good funding source, we would greatly appreciate the ongoing financial support needed.
