A Saturday Salute is given to Tom and Sue Pirnie, Central Community College and the city of Grand Island for being behind a $1.5 million inclusive playground.
Tom and Sue Pirnie of Grand Island have pledged $200,000 to the project.
In appreciation, according to a story by Independent Staff Writer Brandon Summers, the Grand Island City Council on Tuesday approved naming the 27,000-square-foot project the “Pirnie Inclusive Playground.”
The playground, to be constructed at Ryder Park, off North Front Street, is designed to be handicap accessible and serve children with a range of ability levels.
The project was conceptualized by occupational therapy assistant program students at CCC’s Grand Island campus.
“Last year a group from (CCC) came to us and said they would like to help fundraise for a new playground, an inclusive playground,” City Parks and Recreation Director Todd McCoy explained Tuesday.
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Tom and Sue Pirnie are the owners of Grand Island Express and GIX Logistics. Tom has served on CCC’s Board of Governors since 1994.
“We are excited to support a project created by CCC students for children of all abilities within Grand Island,” said Pirnie, in a statement via CCC. “Opportunities for area youth and families are vital for the betterment of the community.”
Creation of a playground at Ryder Park was approved by City Council in July 2021.
The ongoing fundraising campaign includes a $250,000 endowment to cover the annual costs of playground equipment maintenance.
For the project, 15% of the funds have been raised, CCC reported in a statement. Construction is expected to start in 2023.
Additional information on the project may be found at www.cccneb.edu/RyderPark.
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A second Saturday Salute goes out to Amos Anson and the Grand Island Area Habitat for Humanity for receiving the honor for Best in Affordability Home Design competition at the Habitat for Humanity International’s annual conference last week at Atlanta.
In the category, the Grand Island location came out ahead of all other Habitat affiliates nationwide, according to a story by Independent Staff Writer Jeff Bahr.
Honored was an open concept floor plan for a three-bedroom house, designed primarily by Amos Anson of Grand Island.
Grand Island Habitat’s 111th home, currently being built, makes use of the award-winning floor plan. That home is under construction at 2085 Nelson Lane in Habitat’s subdivision.
It’s the first time Grand Island Habitat has built an open concept house.
Grand Island Habitat’s building committee came up with the plan for the three-bedroom house, which totals 1,072 square feet.
“We as a group gave input on it and I executed that vision,” said Anson, who is Grand Island Habitat’s longtime construction manager.
It’s “pretty cool” to win a nationwide Habitat competition, he said. Nearly 100 Habitat affiliates entered the design competition. The award from Habitat International includes a $4,000 grant that will be put toward construction of the house.
The process is “why I’ve dedicated so much of my time to the organization,” said Anson, who’s worked with Habitat for close to two decades.
During the years, most of the Habitat houses built locally contained three bedrooms and one bath. Occasionally, if the need arose, a four-bedroom home was built, said Grand Island Habitat Executive Director Alyssa Heagy.
In January of this year, Grand Island Habitat adopted open concept plans for two-bedroom, three-bedroom and four-bedroom houses.
“The construction criteria has changed,” Heagy said. Habitat International issued new guidelines calling for greater accessibility.
The new houses can be quickly and easily converted if a family’s needs change, Heagy said. One change might involve a family member who needs a wheelchair.
The plans allow for easy expansion.
The 111th home will be completed at the end of June, if the weather cooperates. It’s expected to be the home of Evelin Garcia Ixtabalan and Celbin Gomez Perez, a married couple with one daughter.