Alexander Inclusive Playground Project completes Area 1

ALBANY — Giggles and shouts rang through the crowd as children made good use of the new playground equipment during the Alexander Inclusive Playground Project’s first ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday evening.

Lisa Wigal and Annah Korpi began work on the project only about a year ago, and have since raised the full funds to plan and complete Area 1, the first of three playgrounds which will be refurbished to be more inclusive for all children.

The ribbon-cutting event featured a small ceremony to thank sponsors, donors, organizers and community members for all their hard work and staunch support. Richard Maskiell, the assistant principal of Alexander Elementary School, addressed the crowd to share the project’s origin story.

“Mrs. Korpi came up and said, ‘Hey, we’d love to do something with the playground; my son’s got some needs that I don’t feel the playground is meeting.’ And we said, yeah, that’s important, but it’s such a huge undertaking,” Maskiell said. “Then, later on in the spring, Mrs. Wigal — who had no idea who Mrs. Korpi was — approached me and said, ‘Hey, I'd like to reach out to some groups and see if we can buy some supplies that’d be great for the playground.’”

From here Maskiell introduced Korpi and Wigal to each other and the three worked to create a committee and plan to improve the playgrounds, he said. As he expressed his admiration for the large amount of work completed in a short period of time, Maskiell welcomed Wigal to the podium to share her remarks with the crowd.

“The playground is more than just a collection of swings, slides and climbing structures. It is a place where children of all abilities can come together to play, learn and grow; an environment that celebrates diversity and fosters inclusivity,” Wigal said. “It is a place where friendships will be formed, barriers will be broken and memories will be made that will last a lifetime.I want to extend my deepest thanks to each and every one of you who contributed in any way, big or small, to make this playground a reality.”

Following Wigal’s words, Jovia Richards, an alumna from the elementary school who utilizes a wheelchair, took the microphone. Richards shared her experience with feeling left out on the playground when she attended the school and expressed her gratitude that other children will have a more inclusive space and environment to play.

As the presentation continued, Maskiell spoke again to share the names of a variety of donors to the project as well as call several children forward to present donors with drawings of what equipment they funded. The school’s principal, Abigail-Barba Rouse, also stepped forward to speak and share exciting news regarding the project’s future.

Rouse’s first announcement came from her introduction of Athens County Commissioners Charlie Adkins and Chris Chmiel, who announced the commissioner’s office’s decision to award some county funds to the project. When she received the mic again, Rouse pressed on to reveal the project had been awarded $260,000 from the Capital State budget.

Maskiell continued to share good news following Rouse, as he shared a long list of high dollar donors and announced the project only needs to raise $200,000 to secure full funding for the remaining two phases.

As they look into the future, the project’s organizers will focus on securing more donors and raising the final funds before next summer, Korpi said. The group hopes to utilize next summer to complete full community builds of both Area 2 and Area 3, to allow improved play for children as swiftly as possible, Wigal added.

Korpi acted as the final speaker and shared her immense gratitude for everyone who worked on or supported the project. The event wrapped up with a twist on a ribbon cutting.

“Rather than open the playground, we're gonna kind of recreate the barrier that was the playground and the goal of this ribbon cutting is to show that we finally are breaking down that barrier. We're cutting through the obstacles and no longer excluding children or people with disabilities,” Korpi said. “So what we're gonna do children is — when we count to we're gonna count to three. After this ribbon comes up, you are going to bust through that ribbon and break the barrier down so that all kids can play.”