Montana State Parks has a new program to make playgrounds more accessible to children with disabilities.
The agency started taking applications Tuesday for grants that will help provide funding for communities to renovate and improve playgrounds, making them safer and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Tom Reilly with Montana State Parks says the grants will help ease the cost of fixing playgrounds.
“There’s a lot of old stuff out there," said Reilly. "And the new stuff is expensive to buy and install.”
State Representative Jean Price of Great Falls assembled $100,000 for the grant program in this year’s legislative session.
Municipalities and school districts can apply for grants of up to $10,000, which can be used in coordination with other funds for larger projects. The application period ends January 17, 2018.
To view or download the Montana Accessible Playgrounds Grant application, guidelines and scoring criteria, visit the Montana State Parks website.
