(Owensboro) – Daviess County Fiscal Court held a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of the all-inclusive playground at Horse Fork Creek Park.
The playground is located along Fairview Drive near the spray park, which is also fully accessible.
“The Playground for All is an exciting addition for our county parks system,” said Judge-Executive Al Mattingly. “It will allow children of all abilities to play alongside their peers. The playground features a poured-in-place rubber surface, accessible ramps, a glider swing, and musical instruments among other features.”
Daviess County received a $75,000 matching grant for the project through the Kentucky Department for Local Government (DLG). The contractor, Miracle Recreation of KY & TN, finished the installation ahead of Memorial Day weekend.
“Already, we are seeing a lot of young families enjoying the playground and spray park at Horse Fork,” said Parks Director Ross Leigh. “It’s a unique feature for us, the first fully-accessible playground in our county parks system, designed to allow children of all abilities to grow together.”
The inclusive playground and spray park are open daily from 9 a.m. to dusk.
Later this year, Fiscal Court will add a restroom facility in the same area of Horse Fork Creek Park. Also, the county is looking at updating equipment at other county parks to improve accessibility.
“I think Horse Fork Creek Park will end up being on a day-to-day basis the most utilized facility that we have because of its location,” Mattingly concluded. “It’s located in an urban area, where there are a lot of kids. The spray park was a big attraction last year and this year.”
Horse Fork Creek Park opened in 2007 with the largest soccer complex in Western Kentucky. Nearly 1,000 youth participate in the recreational soccer program under the volunteer leadership of the Daviess County Youth Soccer Association, both in a spring and fall season.
Additionally, the park is located adjacent to the Greenbelt, a 15-mile multi-use trail linking neighborhoods, parks, schools, and businesses throughout Owensboro.
For questions, contact Daviess County Parks & Recreation at 270-685-6142 or visit daviessky.org.
