For most kids, the sight of a playground elicits yelps of joy and tugs on a parent’s shirt. But for children with special needs, they can be grim reminders of their limitations.
Not at this park.
The St. Johns County Board has approved the development of the Diamond of Dreams, a brand new $2.2 million facility specially designed for everyone with an itch to play.
Kendall Hardwick, a county schools staffer and wife of St. Johns Sheriff Robert Hardick, endorsed the plan before the County Board of Commissioners earlier this month.
“This is an underserved, often underrecognized population in our community,” she said.
Working in conjunction with the St. Johns County Police Athletic League, officials will use the American Rescue Plan Act funds to build out a baseball/multipurpose field and playground for the county’s southwest portion.
The project will feature a carpeted, wheelchair-accessible baseball field, dugouts, a press box, family searing, ADA-compliant parking, and restroom facilities.
The grounds will also offer a wheelchair-accessible playground.
The new park will be the county’s second all-inclusive facility. Aberdeen Park is located roughly 30 miles away on the other side of St. Johns.
“If you ever get out there, you’ll see a smile on every child’s face,” Commissioner Christian Whitehurst said of the existing park.
“The idea of creating this in the south part of the county that will benefit children for generations to come…it’s a worthwhile endeavor,” he said.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury initiated the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, officials said.
St. Johns was allocated $51.4 million to help in pandemic economic recovery efforts and fund future capital projects.
Other local ARPA-funded projects have included the Hastings Vocational School and the West Augustine Medical Facility.
