The Martensville & District Lions Club is proud to unveil the newest addition to the community – the Lions Mobility Park, located in Lions Park at 416 6th Avenue South. This park is the first of its kind for Martensville and is accessible for everyone, including those in wheelchairs and walkers. It also includes a rubberized surface, making it that much safer for those that are utilizing it.
The rubberized surface, which was made from the soles of 13,000 Nike shoes and 10,000 recycled tires is currently the largest rubberized park within Saskatchewan, and this project marks one of the biggest projects that Nike has been involved in within the country.
The Lions Mobility Park grand opening took place on Saturday, August 26th from 11am-2pm and included a barbeque with hamburgers, smokies and hotdogs, as well as drinks, dainties and some games for all those attending. According to Lions Club Member Leslie Truitt, there were approximately 300 people in attendance for the event.
Construction for the new mobility playground began this past May, and not only was the playground revamped, but Truitt noted that the older playground items are now working more efficiently and safer for those using them.
“The Lions Club really wanted to ensure that the park was a place that everyone could enjoy and so we wanted it to be accessible to everyone. The mobility playground is connected to the Spray Park and the Pavilion and has a lot of options, including 3D animals, an electronic game, a swing that works with a wheelchair and a ‘gen swing’. We did this so it is accessible for anybody and an entire family can come and enjoy all of the aspects of the park and provide a place for all kids to have that experience and just enjoy being a kid,” Truitt added.
The more than $400,000 project was made possible through the hard work, dedication and fundraising efforts of the local Lions Club, as well as numerous local businesses, Shercom Industries, the Lions Club International Foundation and the City of Martensville coming on board to support the Lions Club dream of having a playground that was accessible to everyone.
“We are so happy that we were able to deliver a park for mobility in the community. It didn’t happen overnight, and took years to get it to this point, but we are very pleased with the final product. It would not have been possible without the support of the community, and that makes us even more proud to know that this project was entirely community-based. We are so proud of this community and so grateful for the support that they have given us,” Truitt stated, adding a special thank you to Maria Fowler, who Truitt stated was “the spark that got the fire going”.
The barbeque held during the grand opening was provided free of charge to those attending as the Lions Club’s way of saying thank you to the community for all of their support throughout this project.
