10-09-24

Press release by Main Street Uvalde Manager Gloria Von Resma

“A new playground is coming to Esperanza Park and we’re looking for designers,” are the words on a Kaboom! flier announcing a design meetup at El Progreso Memorial Library on Wednesday, February 8th at 11:30 AM.  Children and adults are invited to participate and  submit designs both at the February 8th meetup and virtually through a Vision Study through the Kaboom!  Esperanza Vision website 

“KABOOM!, the City of Uvalde, and The CarMax Foundation are building a new playground at Esperanza Park this April! We want you to be a part of designing this playground! Come share your ideas at a Design Event following Story Hour at El Progreso Memorial Library on February 8 at 11:30AM. You can also share your ideas at https://tinyurl.com/EsperanzaVision ,”   an official statement released by Kaboom! reads.

The playground design survey will close at 12:01AM on February 9 according to Kaboom! Once the designs are finalized Kaboom! will share the community’s ideas with the manufacturer. 

Bicki Rudd has been named as Kaboom! Project Director for the Esperanza Park Project.  The CarMax Foundation is funding the project, and volunteers from the foundation will be joining the community on the April 20 Build Day. And the Rotary Club of Uvalde has generously agreed to provide additional partnership on the ground to help support the project.

  Construction will begin on the playground October 13 and continue through October 15th from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM each day.  On October 13th and 14th, ground preparation work will be done, The October 15th is the day when the playground will be assembled. According to Mayra Vasquez, October 15th is the date the most volunteers from the community are needed to build the playground.

   Several dozen people gathered at DeLeon Park for the Kaboom! Playground reveal event Thursday evening at 6 PM. 

   Mayor Don McLaughlin, City Councilmen Everado “Lalo” Zamora and Hector Luevano attended the ceremonies, Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez , Constable Emmanuel Zamora and County Commissioner Ronnie Garza also attended  along with other community members and civic leaders and members of the media,

   Jan DeMelo the Director of Special Projects for Kaboom! began the unveiling ceremony. DeMelo was accompanied by Kaboom! representative Lysa Ratliff.

  DeMelo explained to the crowd that the process of selecting a playground design began several weeks ago with a collaborative effort consisting of the Uvalde Memorial Library, the City of Uvalde and a planning committee consisting of volunteers from the community. She explained that the committee which included children and adults utilized crayons, blue blocks and other building materials. The planning was then transferred into artwork she stated.

  Out of the planning process four playground designs were generated. Community members were then given the opportunity to vote online for one playground design to be constructed in October 2022. 

 Once the two artist renditions and map of the design was unveiled, people were allowed to take pictures and examine the displays up close. 

 Construction will begin on the playground October 13 and continue through October 15th from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM each day.  On October 13th and 14th, ground preparation work will be done, The October 15th is the day when the playground will be assembled. According to Mayra Vasquez, October 15th is the date the most volunteers from the community are needed to build the playground.

  DeMelo said they are in the process of collecting water, food and drinks and T-Shirts for the volunteers participating in the playground building event. 

 Volunteers must be at least 16 years old, Those interested in volunteering can sign up online using the QR Code printed on the flier. (Flier is posted with this article)

Plans are coming together for a new community playground to be built at DeLeon Park in Uvalde.  A local planning committee met Wednesday August 31st  with a Kaboom representative at El Progreso Memorial Library. Kaboom! is a non-profit organization. According to the organization’s website, ”  Combined with our decades of experience in community engagement, our playspaces can spark joy and foster a sense of belonging for communities of color — communities that disproportionally have less access to play where they learn and live. Our Mission: We unite with communities to build kid-designed playspaces that can spark joy and foster a sense of belonging for the kids who are often denied opportunities to thrive. Kaboom is the  national nonprofit that works to end playspace inequity for good.”

According to a Facebook event page hosted by El Progreso Memorial Library, “KABOOM is holding community meetings to get ideas and discuss aspects of the playground they are donating to the community at De Leon Park.”

According to Mayra Vasquez, one of the local planners working with Kaboom!, October 15th is the work day where community members will meet at DeLeon Park to construct the playground. Kaboom! provides  the pre-built components of the playground features  community volunteers then assemble in one day during the 6 hour workday. According to Vasquez, While the funding for the playground itself has been arranged by Kaboom! parents have mentioned raising additional funds for a cover for the playground set.

For more information about Uvalde Kaboom! Playground project, contact El Progreso Memorial Library.