EDWARDSVILLE, IL. – Right on the heels of the groundbreaking for the City of Edwardsville’s new Spray & Play Park, the Edwardsville City Council last night approved the naming of a new sports park to be developed in Edwardsville – Plummer Family Park. 
The Sports Park is one of three parks that the City of Edwardsville is raising funds to develop as part of its A Better Place to Play campaign. The state-of-art sports park will include multiple soccer, baseball and softball fields, an all-accessible field for those with special needs, pickleball courts, tennis courts, concessions and restrooms. The next steps in the development are to form a focus group to gather community needs for the specified sports listed.

Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton is excited about the new Sports Park. “We are so grateful to the Plummer Family for stepping up and helping make the Sports Park a reality for Edwardsville. We have so many select ball teams and tennis groups in need of recreational space so this will be a big boost to our area.”
The two other parks include the Spray & Play Park and an Ice Hockey Rink/Teen Center. Officials broke ground just yesterday on the Spray & Play Park, which is expected to open Memorial Day 2016. The Spray & Play Park will also include a walking/fitness track for all ages, shade structures, pavilions and restrooms/changing stations. The Ice Hockey Rink and Teen Center will offer an indoor walking track, concessions, and a lounge area for home athletes and visiting teams to enjoy while using the facility. The Ice Rink and Teen Center, when funded, will be located off of Governor’s Parkway on District #7 grounds.
Mayor Patton indicated that grant funding and sponsorships will make up a large percentage of the funds used to build the area parks, however area residents are being encouraged to make contributions to the projects by donating through the campaign website, either with lump sum donations or a pledge option. The campaign website is http://www.betterplacetoplay.com.
For more information on major gifts, please contact Edwardsville Community Foundation at (855) 464-3223 or make a donation online at http://www.edwardsvillecommunityfoundation.org/. Donations may be mailed to Edwardsville Community Foundation to P.O. Box 102, Edwardsville, IL 62025. Please make a notation on your check that the funds are to be applied to the “A Better Place to Play” campaign. If you wish to support a specific parks project, please also notate the designated park with your donation.
Those interested in learning more about the “A Better Place to Play” campaign can find information online at www.betterplacetoplay.com or call (618) 692-7538. “A Better Place to Play” can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/abetterplacetoplay and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BP2Play.