Public Invited to Celebrate Opening of Edwardsville’s New All-Abilities Playground

EDWARDSVILLE – A dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled to take place at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026 at the City’s new all-abilities playground on the N.O. Nelson campus of Lewis & Clark Community College. The public is invited to join in the celebration of this new accessible play space made possible with the help of numerous community partners.

“It brings me so much happiness to know how much this playground will be used and enjoyed by children and families from all over the area,” Mayor Art Risavy said. “I am thankful for community partners who share our passion for providing the community with accessible, creative attractions such as this. A project like this doesn’t come together as quickly as it did without that kind of collaboration.”

The fully enclosed playground officially opened in mid-July and includes a wide variety of features, shade structures, seating and interactive elements. It is located at 610 Troy Road, just north of the City’s historic Nickel Plate Station, Leclaire Field and the Edwardsville Children’s Museum. It is on the Edwardsville campus of Lewis & Clark Community College, whose leadership graciously agreed to a long-term lease for the site.

In October 2025, the City Council approved the expenditure of up to $600,000 for the playground. The Edwardsville Community Foundation stepped up to cover the playground costs through a donation from the estate of the David Kriege Family, the last owner of Kriege Hardware, which operated in the City for nearly a century. The Foundation was entrusted with using the donation to enhance the quality of life through recreation, preservation and beautification in the City.

Other expenses, including the fence, future landscaping and other infrastructure enhancements, will be paid for out of the Edwardsville Enhancement Fund. That fund was established by the City Council in 2023 with a dedicated quarter-percent sales tax for green space acquisition, parks improvements, police and fire pensions and capital projects.

The ribbon cutting will feature brief remarks from Mayor Risavy, members of the City Council and Parks & Recreation Director Nate Tingley, along with representatives from the Edwardsville Community Foundation and Lewis & Clark Community College.

The all-abilities playground is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. More information on it can be found on the City’s Parks & Recreation webpages (http://www.cityofedwardsville.com/parks) and the City Projects page (http://www.cityofedwardsville.com/cityprojects).

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