WALDPORT — The Noble Carlton fund has donated $130,000 to the city of Waldport’s Louis Southworth Park to help pay for the rubberized playground surface.
“As a group of educators and parents, we feel that this gift will have a lasting effect on the community,” said a release by the fund. “The playground and park will bring the community together in a place where children and adults of all abilities can play, gather, celebrate, and learn.”
The fund supports teachers and students at Waldport High School by providing monetary awards as well as scholarships for graduates, committee chair Lauan Vitasovic said when announcing the donation during a special meeting of the Waldport City Council on Monday.
The group envisions the park serving as a gathering place for the community and the playground providing a positive experience for children to carry forward in life. It also said the park will draw visitors to the area which will translate into more money into the local economy.
The money was donated in memory of Noble Carlton and David McKinley – Vitasovic’s father. Both men were Waldport High School graduates, both were disabled in their adulthood and lived in Waldport until they passed away.
“Creating a playground space where all parents can play with their children is very important to us,” Vitasovic said.
GameTime, the contractor providing the park’s playground equipment, was awarded a $250,000 contract by the Waldport council to install the ADA-compliant rubber surface that is hard enough to roll a wheelchair across while also being soft enough to cushion falls.
