Century Opens New Grant Funded Playground

March 5, 2015

A new playground funded by a state grant is now installed at Showalter Park in Century.

Last November, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced grants in 26 counties for outdoor recreational purposes. The only grant in the Pensacola area was a $50,000 for playground equipment at Showalter Park in Century.

In 2013, the town followed a recommendation from the Century Recreation Advisory Committee a submitted two Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program applications. In addition to the Showalter renovation grant, the town also applied for a $125,000 grant to install a splash pad at the Anthony Pleasant Sportsplex, but that grant was not approved.

The playground equipment was ordered from bidder J.A. Dawson & Co., as recommended by the Century Recreation Committee. Thelabor to demolish the previous playground and  install the new equipment was provided by the town and state inmate labor, saving grant dollars and allowing for the purchase of more equipment.

The new equipment replaced an old, rotting playground that was constructed of wood, metal pipes and even chains (pictured inset).

The Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program is a competitive program which provides grants to local governments for outdoor recreational projects. The grants are administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The entrance to Showalter Park is located adjacent to a railroad crossing on East Hecker Road in Century.

Pictured above and below: A new state grant funded playground at Century’s Showalter Park. Pictured inset: A portion of the old playground that was replaced. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

6 Responses to “Century Opens New Grant Funded Playground”

  1. Mrs Davis on March 7th, 2015 7:47 am

    I just saw this and showed the kids I hope its warm enough they are so excited to go and play there today

  2. melodies4us on March 5th, 2015 7:31 pm

    Awesome! What a great way to create community unity. The planning was wise. They achieved a whole lot of park for this price!

  3. Mom of 1 on March 5th, 2015 5:20 pm

    This is AWESOME! Wonderful news!

  4. mq on March 5th, 2015 2:35 pm

    Very nice playground.

  5. grandmother of a 3 year old on March 5th, 2015 12:42 pm

    My grandson loves this playground! It’s really nice. Thanks for providing this for our children!

  6. Willene Bryan on March 5th, 2015 7:19 am

    So happy for the children, I know they are;