Clayton cuts ribbon on new inclusive playground

Submitted by Town of Clayton

CLAYTON — We’ve been saying it for eight years now.

“Every child deserves a chance to play.”

That tagline became a reality for the Clayton community recently when Clayton Mayor Jody McLeod and the Town Council officially cut the ribbon to open the Harmony Playground, presented by Caterpillar, at East Clayton Community Park.

The town, in partnership with the Clayton Community Recreational Foundation and numerous community partners large and small, worked tirelessly to build the inclusive playground, which allows children and their guardians of all abilities to play together.

The Clayton Community Recreational Foundation is a nonprofit organization that has helped the community support family events, parks and other Clayton recreation activities for more than two decades.

“Harmony Playground has been a long time coming,” Dean Penny, Foundation chair and a leader of the project’s fundraising efforts over the years, said. “We are excited to have finally reached the stage where we have opened this up to the community.”

“This playground was just a dream 10 years ago when the town started designing East Clayton Community Park,” Larry Bailey, former Clayton Parks and Recreation Director, said. “Instead of just putting some swings and slides out here, we knew we had an opportunity to build something unique.”

The Harmony Playground is just that. Not only is it the first of its kind in Clayton, but at least one of its features offers a truly one-of-a-kind play experience.

The playground’s Music Area was created by the North Carolina State University Park Scholars Class of 2019. Each class of Park Scholars selects a “legacy project” within the community. The 2019 class approached Clayton Parks and Recreation a few years ago because they wanted to build a playground for children with special needs. The scholars then spent the next two years working in partnership with Parks and Recreation to design, raise funds and, eventually, build the Harmony Playground’s music walls and poles.

“There are have been so many people involved in this project over the years that it would be hard to name them all,” Parks and Recreation Director Scott Barnard said. “From focus groups to donors and designers, this has been a true community effort.”

Among those who have worked to make the playground possible are local industry leaders like Caterpillar, as well as Novo Nordisk, Gregory Pool Equipment company, Grifols and Northeast Foods. The Dean and Cathy Penny Family Fund and T&T Creative have also been a big part of the playgrounds success — providing funding, services and staff time to fundraising efforts.

The Town of Clayton provided the land for the playground and $600,000 in funding for additional amenities such as expanded parking, shelters and bathrooms. The Johnston County Board of Commissioners provided an additional $100,000 to the playground in their 2019-2020 budget.

The town also received a very competitive Connect NC Parks & Recreation Trust Fund grant for $89,810 and a GameTime grant worth about $60,000 in savings from this playground equipment manufacturer.

“We celebrate the culmination of an eight-year journey that started with ... about 10 people who had a vision where children and adults of all ages and abilities could come and play together,” County Commissioner Butch Lawter, a member of the original playground focus group, said.

“I look forward to seeing all children of all needs being able to participate in this park,” Clayton Town Councilman Michael Grannis added.

Over the years community organizations have helped push the playground to the finish line including The Woman’s Club of Clayton, The Clayton Civitan Club, Christine Taylor Trust, The Archway Foundation, State Farm, Johnston County Association of Realtors, Balfour Beatty, RTP Electrical Associates, LLC, Zaxby’s of Clayton, Zaxby’s of Smithfield, Rotary Club of Clayton, Hudson’s Hardware, Premiere Financial, Terracon, Walmart and Sam’s Club and Sheetz. Numerous individuals and families also contributed to the fundraising efforts.

“On behalf of all of our kids ... thank you,” said Candice Collier-Lang, a parent of two daughters, one with special needs, who was a member of the initial community focus group.