Murfreesboro

MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE spearheaded byPrice,who donated $300,000 at the groundbreaking cere- mony in February2016.“The cost was roughly$3.2millionwith a third of that generated through communitydona- tions and the Project One Four Founda- tion,”says Laird.“The rest was subsidized by the Cityof Murfreesboro.And I want to applaud our CityCouncil for stepping up and going above and beyond.They could have simplymatched funds,but they recognized the opportunitywe had here,and allowed the leaders to go ahead andmake this project what it is,today.The cityalso recognized an opportunity tomake a real impact on our communitybynot just building a field,but also building an entire park that was all-inclusive,andwhich provid- ed for everychild and adult of all ages and abilities.Our communitypitched in, millions of dollars were raised,and the parkbecame a veryhigh-end project.It’s probablyone of the nicest parks in the State of Tennessee.” “One thing that we’re reallyproud about is that we just didn’t build a field -we built an all-inclusive playground,”Laird adds.The playground has accessible ramps and turf,sensory sta- tions,and an easy-to-ridezipline,just to name a fewof its features.“We also built a dirt T-ball field adjacent to theMiracle Field.This was an opportunity for us to try to change the culture here inMurfreesboro.Byallow- ingT-ballers,the four and five year olds,to playalong- side theMiracle League participants,theyhave the opportunity to playon the playground,together.Some of those barriers that exist between adults and older children are non-existent when young kids interact with kids with special needs,at that age.So,our hope is,as time goes on,over a fewgenerations of partici- pating in the League,that all kids,not just our special needs community,but our entire population of youth will growinto accepting adults who are all-inclusive in their daily life.I thinkour programs and our facili- ties are geared around helping parents develop their children into good citizens-and helping our citizens be good citizens.” Angela Jackson,Director of Murfreesboro Parks& RecreationDepartment,agrees and believes that the Miracle Field represents a drive for cultural change inMurfreesboro because it recognizes“everyone of our citizens and all of their abilities.”She also believes that the city’s parks and green spaces have been key in attracting newcomers to town: “They’re an incentive in recruiting and retaining businesses and residents,”she states.In fact,in the city’s recentlyapproved,one-year, $70million capital improvement plan,there is funding for a brand newone park–Blackman Park–which is currently in the design phase. “Blackman Parkwill have both a regional drawas well as be a communityparkand a significant im- provement in our park system,”Jackson declares.“We’re alsoworking to expand our greenway,our pedestrian