Springvale Park Committee Successfully Raises Funds for Playground Efforts

Come February, the nearly 20-year-old playground in Springvale Park will get a makeover.

Following three years of planning, discussion and most recently, fundraising, construction on a new playground for Inman Park's central greenspace is expected to break ground in the last week of January.

It is projected to open in early February, Amy Higgins, who chairs the Springvale Park Committee, told East Atlanta Patch.

The committee, which includes Eric Goldberg, Patty Murphy, Jane Smith and Kristina Murphy, raised about $104,000, including securing grants of $20,000 from the city and $47,000 from Park Pride.

The playground makeover is designed to appeal to a wider age range of kids in Inman Park, as well as children who may have special needs, Higgins said.

Springvale Park, which dates back to the 1890s, is bounded by Edgewood Avenue to the south, Waverly Way to the west and north, and abuts homes on Elizabeth Street to the east. It is bisected by Euclid Avenue.

The playground improvement project is part of the ongoing discussion for an overall master plan for Springvale Park, which includes improvements on lighting, creating additional entry points and erosion control.

Master plans are critical for neighborhoods because they help those communities shape how they develop and grow.

Such plans also are critical in fundraising, Higgins said, because they show a workable blueprint to donors. Getting the city involved early on can help avoid some pitfalls and mistakes, too, she said.