Fundraising for the Crossridge Park Playground

The Parks & Recreation Commission is in the process of fundraising for the Crossridge Park Playground project. The purpose of the project is to encourage healthy lifestyles fro community members by providing a large playspace for families to enjoy. High-quality playspaces encourage children to be active with their parents or grandparents and decreases the occurrence of childhood obesity. Playspaces also encourage creativity and imagination among children and assist in developing social skills, like working in groups and sharing.

Crossridge Park currently has a blacktopped walking trail that loops around the northern half of the park, 7 acres of natural prairie around the walking trail, a small playspace in the northeast corner of the park, and the new Parker YMCA and their athletic fields. Because the playground will be located near the Parker YMCA, the commission anticipates that it will be one of the more highly used playgrounds in the City. The park is also located along Parkview Drive, which has seen an increase in traffic by 130% since the State Highway 26 Bypass opened in the fall of 2013. The City hopes that this new playground will be a statement about the culture of Milton that places a high value on community, children, families, and play.

The design the Parks & Recreation Commission and Common Council approved will make this a destination playground with unique features, and the City needs community partners to help with funding to make this vision a reality. All donors will be listed on a donation recognition board in the following levels:

• Bronze Level ($100 - $999)
• Silver Level ($1,000 - $4,999)
• Gold Level ($5,000 - $9,999)
• Platinum Level ($10,000+)

At $5,000 or more, businesses or individuals may have the opportunity to sponsor a bench or a specific feature of the playground. Contact City Hall to see what is available.

The Parks & Recreation Commission would like to thank the following businesses and organizations that have already committed to the project:

• Let’s Play City Construction Grant from Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) and national non-profit KaBOOM! - $20,000
• Air Products - $10,000
• City of Milton - $10,000
• Penn Color - $1,000
• Casey’s General Store - $500
• Janesville Morning Rotary - $500
• Bank of Milton - $500
• Johns Disposal - $250
• Woodman’s Food Market - $100

Donation forms, Build Day Sign Up, and additional information about the project are available online at www.milton-wi.gov/CrossridgePlayground.

For more information about this release please contact City Administrator Jerry Schuetz at 608-868-6900 or jschuetz@milton-wi.gov.