Mylan Parks Cuts the Ribbon on Inclusive Playground
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on July 25, 2025
According to WDTV, last week, after months of construction dating back to 2024 the new inclusive playground at Mylan Park is finally finished.
SteepingStones and various donors celebrated the finished product with a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday. After the recent opening of an inclusive playground in The Bridge Sports Complex, SteppingStones is excited to provide another outlet for those with special needs in North 
Central West Virginia.
Central West Virginia.
“But this one is not just for children it’s for adults too,” Executive Director Monica Marietta said.
“Because the participants at SteppingStones are not just children and my child is one of those he is 33 years old and he has special needs and he always loved to swing and slide but it’s not appropriate for him.”
Every piece of the playground has a different element, including musical and sensory. There will also be a wheelchair swing. Marietta emphasizes this playground is open to everyone in the region not just steppingstone members.
“There is literally nothing here that puts a barrier in place for a person with a disability which if it doesn’t have a barrier for a person with a disability that it’s open to everybody,” Marietta said.
“Being able to see the progress on a daily basis has been unbelievable. From fruition where this started back in 2018 when my recreation coordinator and I toured the first playground in Minneapolis, Minnesota to bringing one right here to our community in Morgantown has been unbelievable.”
SteppingStones hatched the idea for an inclusive playground at Mylan Park five years ago. After COVID-19 the playground committee turned to coach Don Nehlen to reach out to Jim Justice as his Gubernatorial tenure winded down. Many said that without the quick thinking of the Hall of Fame coach this ceremony might not have happened.
“We were at a crossroads with the fundraising on the playground. So we had a meeting and coach Nehlen who was on our committee and we were sitting there bouncing ideas back and forth with what are we going to do to get over the hump with this fundraiser.” Glenn Adrian said.
“Don Nehlen called Governor Justice and left a message and didn’t hear back he didn’t really hear much about it and coach got a call at about 10:00 PM at night and governor Justice said coach what do you need?”
Editor's Note: Photo submitted to Connect-Bridgeport, photo taken by Hannah Elliott. This playground received a $1.3 million grant during previous Gov. Jim Justice's administration.
