Unity Playground construction begins
May 1, 2025
(Talladega, AL) The City of Talladega is poised to open Unity Playground, its first-ever inclusive, fully-accessible public playground, in May 2025. On Tuesday morning, donors and city leaders gathered at Veterans Memorial Park, where the playground will be located, to view the construction site and take photos.
“Our community has dreamed of establishing a truly accessible public playground for many years. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, this dream will soon become a reality,” said City Manager Derrick Swanson. “Unity Playground will help children of all abilities to develop socially, emotionally and physically. It will benefit those who are blind, deaf or deaf/blind; those with diverse health conditions; and those who use wheelchairs.”
“Construction began on April 28th, and we anticipate that installation of the playground equipment will take approximately three weeks,” said City of Talladega PIO Mary Sood. “Once the park is open, we will add greenery, benches and a path connecting to the main walkway. In addition, we will install a permanent plaque acknowledging individuals, businesses and organizations who donate $500 or more.”
If you would like to make a donation, please contact Mary Sood at msood@talladega.com.
Sponsors and contributors include Talladega Clay Randolph Childcare Corporation (TCR), T-Mobile, ARC of North Talladega County, TOP Trails OHV Park, Talladega Main Street, Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, Charlie and Elizabeth Grace Diggs, Teresa Jackson, Shaneeka Phillips, Mary Sood and Summer Ammons.
The project began in December 2023, when T-Mobile presented the City of Talladega with a prestigious $50,000 T-Mobile Hometown Grant to help establish Unity Playground in Veterans Park. Talladega Clay Randolph Childcare Corporation (TCR) quickly stepped forward to contribute $75,000 to help purchase park equipment. These major contributions, along with a $50,000 commitment from the city and additional support from other donors paved the way for the city’s first fully accessible public park.
Building a welcoming, inclusive ADA playground will benefit a wide range of community members. Many children in the community who do not require an accessible, inclusive environment may have parents, guardians, siblings or friends who do. Unity Playground will feature specially designed equipment that allows children of all abilities to play together and safely navigate the playground.