Tuesday at 1 p.m., the Mineral Wells Chamber of Commerce celebrated with Lamar Elementary and Mineral Wells ISD with a ribbon-cutting for their new ADA playground equipment, which was completed in December of 2020 when the last piece was added, according to Lamar Principal Kendra Fowler.
Fowler was very excited to give us the story of how this new equipment came to be, “They are very picky about safety and fall zones, so we had to work with our maintenance department, and our former assistant principal did most of the work to make sure we had everything we needed and met regulations,” said Fowler of the project.
After talks began about the project, Weatherford Aerospace joined the conversation and took this on as their charity project around Christmas of 2019. They didn’t do it all on their own though, Palo Pinto General Hospital and the Lamar PTO were also involved in big ways in getting this project completed and funded.
Fowler is excited and looking to the future, saying, “Hopefully, as we get money and look at future projects, we will hopefully be able to do this in other common areas and keep adding.”
Weatherford Aerospace representative Steven Alvarez was proud to be a part of this, saying, “It was just a great opportunity for us to be a part of it. I know funding is an issue for schools, but to give them something active to do outside is great to be a part of.”
PPGH has recently donated money to school districts in the county, including MWISD, CCS, Palo Pinto ISD, and more. After talking with Caye Mauney, we found out just where that donation came from and that this project also came from the same generosity. “It came from donations from the employees of the hospital. Employees donate to a fund, and at Christmas time, we dispense those funds.” Discussions with Dr. Kuhn(Superintendent) began, trying to figure out where to spend the money, where the needs were, and he let them know about this project.
During the ribbon-cutting, the students were occupied with other activities, but members of the MWISD team assured all present that the equipment is “very well-loved” and has been in use since the last piece was installed in December.
Sports Journalist | Mineral Wells native and community-driven. An MWHS graduate with years of experience having served on the Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors Committee, Tourism Committee, Historic Downtown Association, and more. Kellci is heavily involved in Highridge Church of Mineral Wells and volunteers within the First Impressions and Students Ministries. Her love for sports comes from being a student-athlete (volleyball, basketball, track, and field) as a child growing up in Mineral Wells.
