Fairfax, a 2013 ‘Playful City USA,’ Gets $20K Grant for Playground Upgrades

Fairfax town officials were recently awarded a $20,000 grant from the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and a national non-profit to spruce up the playground at Peri Park.

Fairfax received the money because it was selected as a 2013 “Playful City USA” along with 213 other communities in the nation. However, only 25 of the “Playful City USA” communities were rewarded a “Let’s Play City Construction Grant.”

The national program, Playful City USA, will build or fix up to 2,000 playgrounds by the end of 2013. National nonprofit KaBOOM! and the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group provided the funding for the grant.

The monies will fund the replacement of older play structures that have become safety concerns and to build new play structures.

In a press release on the topic, Fairfax Mayor John Reed called Peri Park, which includes multiple playground structures and a shady setting, a “longtime favorite of Fairfax parents and children.”

 Anne Mannes, the Town’s Fairfax Open Circle Arts and Sports (FOCAS) Director and co-writer for the grant, said the grant will help chance play for the local children.

“Peri Park is our town’s beloved gem and I am thrilled that we have been successful with this grant,” she said.