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Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow has announced a $5,000 investment by the City of Oswego to the Leighton Elementary School Playground. This funding allocation follows up a $40,000 allocation to the Kingsford Park School Playground, along with other enhancements made to City parks, including Shapiro Park, Breitbeck Park and Washington Square in the City of Oswego.
"I am proud to make this modest investment to the Leighton Elementary School Playground, so our children can see how important our community parks are, and we can better encourage them to get outdoors, get some exercise and enjoy their playgrounds," said Mayor Barlow. "My administration has quickly invested additional resources to our parks and playgrounds because they are vital assets to a community. We will continue to focus on enhancing our public spaces, improving our parks and providing Oswego residents with quality parks and recreational opportunities," the Mayor said.
The current playground at Leighton is more than 25 years old. The Leighton Home and School Association has been actively fundraising for new playground equipment for over six years through sales, pledge campaigns and student-led events including a change drive. Pathfinder Bank and Leighton Home and School Association President Jacqueline Wallace thanked Mayor Billy Barlow and the City of Oswego for the support and said, "To say we are excited to begin phase one of the Leighton Elementary community playground build is an understatement. A generation of kids have come and gone since the playground initiative began. We are grateful for our fearless playground committee chair, Mary Ann Preston, our Leighton family and greater communities, who have worked tirelessly in support of the playground build. What makes us most proud is how it has brought us all together as a community. We can't wait for build day!"
Mayor Barlow also thanked all those who contributed to the fundraising efforts for the playground improvements and thanked Jacqueline Wallace for leading the cause. "I applaud Mrs. Wallace and the Leighton Home and School Association for their dedication to the children and Leighton Park, and thank them for spearheading the fundraising effort and raising the adequate funds to enhance and modify the Leighton Park Playground. It is inspiring to see our neighbors organize and partner to raise money for community enhancements and work to better position the City of Oswego overall,” Mayor Barlow concluded.
