Tacoma City Council Joins the Trust for Public Land, Parks Tacoma, and Tacoma Public Schools to Fully Fund the Larchmont Elementary Community Schoolyard Project
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~ In a unanimous decision, the Tacoma City Council has approved a contingency fund request of approximately $32,000 to support the Larchmont Community Schoolyard Project. The request, sponsored by District 5 Council Member Joe Bushnell, At-Large Council Member Kristina Walker, and District 2 Council Member Sarah Rumbaugh, will provide the final funding needed to complete the project after a recent loss of federal grant funding disrupted construction.

Council Member Bushnell, who attended Jennie Reed Elementary School as a student and now serves as a council member, expressed his personal connection to the project. "I have seen firsthand the impact that the Community Schoolyards Project has had here in Tacoma," he said. "As someone who has watched this playground transform from my own time as a student, I am honored to be able to provide the final funding to get the Larchmont Community Schoolyard Project over the finish line."

The Trust for Public Land, Parks Tacoma, and Tacoma Public Schools have joined forces to transform schoolyards in Tacoma into vibrant community spaces through the Community Schoolyards Project. Their goal is to ensure that every person in Tacoma has access to a quality park within a 10-minute walk from their home. By utilizing existing schoolyards and improving them into play areas and natural spaces for both children and adults, they hope to serve more than 25,000 people in Tacoma's South End and East Tacoma neighborhoods with their first five pilot locations.

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Tacoma Public Schools Board President Korey Strozier expressed his pride in their partnerships on this project and what it means for students and their communities. "Completing the Larchmont project - the fifth one so far in Tacoma - means more green spaces for Larchmont kids to thrive and solidifies this space as a community hub," he said. Strozier also thanked Trust for Public Land, City of Tacoma, and Parks Tacoma for making it possible despite the loss of federal funding. "This really shows what can happen when a community lives out the values of One City," he added.

Residents can find more information about the Community Schoolyards Project on parkstacoma.gov/project/community-schoolyards. With the support of the Tacoma City Council and their partners, this project is set to make a positive impact on the community and provide much-needed green spaces for all to enjoy.

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