The Township of Springfield was awarded a $40,000 grant from the Union County Kids Recreation Trust Fund and a $5,000 grant from Greening Union County at the October 23, 2024, meeting of the Union County Board of County Commissioners. Mayor Chris Weber commented, "The Township very much appreciates these annual grants which go a long way toward enhancing our parks and beautifying our community."
The Township is matching the Kids Recreation Trust Fund grant to finance the installation of a brand new playground at Alvin Park to replace the equipment that was removed earlier this year. The Springfield Recreation Department is installing modern and interactive playground elements such as a viper slide, mesa climber, synergy doorway, crux climber, and a drive thru. For shade from the sun, an enclosed playfort roof and three elation roofs are included in the project. The structure will also feature accessible ground-play elements such as a rain crescent panel, gas station activity, and tool bench activity. A multi-bay swingset will accommodate a Freedom seat accessible swing in addition to swings for toddlers and older children. A new accessible ramp into the playground will replace the damaged one. According to Adam Lieb, Director of Recreation, “We’re really excited to return a playground to the Alvin Park neighborhood and to continue the park improvements that we’ve been making over the years. Families will truly enjoy this fun, new playground as soon as it's built in the spring.”
The Department of Public Works will use its $5,000 grant award to plant trees throughout Springfield. "I would like to thank the Greening Union County grant program for the matching grant for tree plantings within our community. Programs such as these greatly contribute to the preservation of our tree canopies which benefits all residents," said Keith Decker, the Township's Forrester.
Matching grants from the Kids Recreation Trust Fund are distributed to municipalities across Union County that are looking to upgrade or build recreational facilities for children and families. Funds from the Greening Union County grant award help the Township offset the cost of planting trees throughout Springfield. Since its inception in 2004, the Kids Recreation Trust Fund has provided Union County communities with $20+ million in funding.
