Over the past several months, some noticeable improvements and additions have been made to Mountain View Park, one of the county’s most used facilities, especially from early spring through late fall.

The latest addition to the park, thanks to the Clinton County Healthy Hometown Coalition, park board, and many other sponsors and volunteers, a new playground is in place for smaller children to enjoy.

What is referred to by many as the “toddler” playground recently arrived and was installed at the park last Friday and Saturday, June 24 and 25. The new playground will give small children, around four and under, their own equipment and also make the playground area safer, separating the smaller kids from the bigger, older children who frequent the relatively new playground at the park.

The concept for the need for another smaller playground area originated last year and with funding help from the CCHHC, the project became a reality this summer.

Volunteers from the Healthy Hometown Coalition, park board, and the community at-large constructed and erected the new equipment last week, with completion coming during a work day at the park this past Saturday.

April Speck, coordinator of the Clinton County Healthy Hometown Coalition, noted the funding came from the HHC as part of matching funds from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky program and the Clinton County Extension Service EPHECT program and the ECC Coalition. The total cost of the new equipment was approximately $23,000.

Speck was also well pleased with the turnout of volunteers as well as business donations, including McDonald’s and Burger King that supplied food for the volunteers on Saturday.

Speck said volunteer workers came from not only the park board, Healthy Hometown, and Early Childhood members, but several people from the community as a whole that had some knowledge about the construction and installation phase of the project.

She thanked all the volunteers for their efforts, as well as businesses and groups that aided with the project in any way.

Speck concluded by saying there would be even more additions and improvements forthcoming at the park because of the partnering cooperation of the aforementioned programs, such as additional park benches for park visitors to use, among others.

The park board would like to thank all of the organizations that have helped obtain much needed funding for the improvements, businesses and organizations that have donated in any way, local city and county government for the annual monetary assistance, and the volunteers that help make the project a reality for the entire community.

Park Director Bobby Reneau said the equipment was ordered from Little Tykes, a company that specializes in playground type equipment, with delivery taking between four and five weeks.

All equipment was received except the fence that will be installed around the area and curbing, which was expected to arrive and be installed by the end of this week.

The park director also said there were over 30 people who came to the park Saturday morning to help work, and he thanked each of them for their volunteering their time.

Four of more than 30 volunteers that showed up Saturday work on the installation of a “hippo” feature at the new toddler area at the playground at Mountain View Rec Park. In the photo at far left, a group is shown working on the large structure in the toddler feature.