At the August 16th City Council meeting, the council unanimously approved the application for a $150,000 grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation to renovate Wellness Park. The Iowa League of Cities recently acknowledged Wellness Park as a recipient of a 2022 All-Star Community Award.

Washington Mayor Jaron Rosien spoke with KCII about wanting to make the park’s playground a place that everybody can enjoy. “We really want a playground that is accessible to all types of learning and accessible to people with different types of sensory for feel, sound, and sight. We are going to be doing this project regardless, but the scope of it all depends on the buy-in. Fortunately, we have a lot of people buying in, so we are really excited to see this project come to fruition.”

Riverside recently debuted a more inclusive Railroad Park, featuring a new soft fall surface for the playground, expanded handicap accessibility, and a walking trail around the entire perimeter. That story can also be found online at KCIIradio.com.