Connect Bridgeport
Ad
FacebookTwitterInstagramYouTubeRSS
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Community
    • Community News
    • Anniversaries
    • Announcements
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Calendar
    • Churches
    • Clubs & Organizations
    • Directory
    • Farmer's Market
    • File Complaint
    • Greeting Cards
    • Library
    • Lost And Found
    • Obituaries
    • Parks & Recreation
    • Sponsorships
  • Trading Post
    • For Sale
    • Local Deals
    • Services
    • Yard Sales
  • Visitors
  • Relocation
  • Education
  • Jobs
  • Alumni
Ad

City of Fairmont Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for $2.5M Norwood Park, a Universal Accessibility Park

By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on September 05, 2024

City of Fairmont officials broke ground on the long-awaited construction of Norwood Park, which will be the state’s first universal accessibility park when completed.
 
The project that began as idea in 2017 is now coming to life with over $2.5 million in funding sourced from American Rescue Plan dollars, TIF Funds and local donations along with a property donation from Novelis Aluminum.
 
“This will be the first park in the state of West Virginia that will be universally accessible. No other park in its entirety has been designed so that every feature and location is for people of all degrees of mobility, ability, and needs,” Fairmont Planning Director Shae Strait said. “Fairmont is proud to be the first and hopes to inspire other communities across the state to do more universally accessible design.”
 
Fairmont’s Disability Action Center has been integral to the planning of this park. Clients of the DAC joined with Fairmont officials to break ground on Thursday morning and the organization’s excitement is summarized by its director, Julie Sole.
 
“To say that this day has been worth the wait is a huge understatement. From the very early planning stages in 2017 to the official announcement in 2019, all the planning, research, design, funding initiatives and waiting that has happened since that time is all worth it to see this project come to fruition,” Sole said. “This project has focused on inclusion from the very onset. It is more than just an accessible playground or adaptive piece of equipment, it’s giving people of all ages and abilities the space and opportunity to move, learn, communicate, and play together in one universally accessible space.”
 
Sole also serves as a member of Fairmont City Council, but the park rests in the Council District of Mayor Anne Bolyard, who has been anxiously awaiting this ceremony since the first announcements.
 
“Norwood Park will be an important part of our city,” Bolyard said. “This is not just a park or playground. It will bring families and people together as a place that shows our commitment to the importance of inclusion in everyday activities for all abilities and multiple generations.”
 
Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. (CEC) and its Landscape Architecture department featuring Matt Pizatella and Jim Christie handled the design of the project. 

Share


Sign up/stay connected

Create your profile to start adding photos, posting comments, and more.

SIGN UP

Ad
Ad
Ad

Blogs [ view all ]

  • Photo

    Time Travel: Braves Cheerleaders from 19...

    You know this young ladies? This is from the 1987-88 school year and back in the Bridgeport Junior High Days. She...

    Posted by Dick Duez

  • Photo

    It's Happening: Direct Flight from Bridg...

      If you haven’t taken advantage of the direct flights from North Central West Virginia Airpor...

    Posted by Julie Perine

  • Photo

    Outside the Tribe: A Look Back at Some o...

    This weekend the high school sports season will wrap up this weekend with the state baseball tournament in Charleston....

    Posted by Chris Johnson

  • Photo

    Crisis Chronicles: It Takes a Village

    Around 5 p.m. on Friday, May 30th, my phone started buzzing with weather alerts. This spring has been particularly int...

    Posted by Tim Curry

  • Photo

    The Grapevine: PWA Stepping Up to Provid...

    The Progressive Women’s Association has taken a step further in expanding its services through its food bank. Th assoc...

    Posted by Rosalyn Queen

  • Photo

    ToquiNotes: Saying Goodbye to a Gift fro...

    In the famous Peanuts comic strip featuring Charlie Brown and Snoopy, there is a character Linus that most of my generatio...

    Posted by Jeff Toquinto

  • Photo

    Love and Light: Sweet Honeysuckle

    One of the simple pleasures of living in Bridgeport, West Virginia is tasting the little drop of nectar inside the rip...

    Posted by Leigha Randolph

Calendar [ view all ]

Sun
22

Meditation, Community, & Support

Mon
23

Spanish Summer Camp by Blanquita's Spanish Experience

Mon
23

Spanish Summer Camp

 



Bridgeport, WV
Editorial Board Advertise Privacy Policy Contact Us
FacebookTwitterInstagramYouTubeRSS

©2014 Connect Bridgeport.