Leave it better: a memorial made for play: an Idaho community comes together to support a playground that remembers local heroes and 9/11's fallen.

Project:

Cherry Hill Park 9/11 Memorial Playground, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 

Problem:

Land for Cherry Hill Park had been acquired by the city of Coeur D'Alene in 1999. By 2003, it was complete with a BMX track, sledding hill, baseball fields and basketball courts, but the space for a playground was vacant. Doug Eastwood and Kenny Gabriel, the city's parks director and fire chief, began discussing an emergency services theme and incorporating a memorial to the 9/11 fallen, as well as to Idaho firefighters and police killed in the line of duty.

Solution:

The resulting themed playground included a giant fireman's helmet 17 feet high with observation decks, a slide and a fireman's pole where kids could play. In addition, a playground manufacturer created a fire truck, a police car and toy motorcycles that were installed as play structures.

Cost and Partnerships:

More than 800 pickets are installed on the perimeter fence--each was sold for $30. In addition to the picket sales, the Coeur d'Alene and Panhandle Kiwanis clubs each contributed $20,000 and hundreds of volunteer hours to build the playground and the fence. The Coeur d'Alene Arts Commission also contributed $10,000 to the project. Contributions from other organizations included a flag pole from North Idaho Title Company and benches from Alliance Title & Escrow Corporation and from First American Title Company. The Coeur d'Alene Rotary Club bought and planted all the trees. The Coeur d'Alene Parks and Recreation Commission recommended that the City allocate $20,000 from the capital improvement fund and $30,000 from the sale of a city-owned parcel of land. The total budget for the playground and amenities was $127,000.

Timeline:

Eastwood said that the funding phase took about two years. Construction of the playground only took about four months. A second phase of the project will include a granite monument describing the tragedy of the World Trade Center, and a piece of one of the World Trade Center buildings for the memorial, as well. Granite wings on each side of the monument will memorialize the firefighters and police officers that have fallen in the line of duty in the state of Idaho. The playground was dedicated on Sept. 16, 2006.

Community Impact:

The City of Coeur d'Alene now has a highly visible memorial to 9/11 and it is being used heavily by kids (and their parents) from all around the region, becoming a destination location due to its uniqueness and its size. Instead of a ribbon-cutting ceremony, several local and regional fire and police personnel raised a flag that had been flown over the World Trade Center.

Eastwood said emergency personnel and legislators from across the state attended the dedication. "When we dedicated the playground, it was the most phenomenal turnout," he said.