Thanks to a final surge of donations, Grand Traverse County Parks & Recreation hit a $50,000 fundraising goal for a new Civic Center playground several hours ahead of a midnight deadline Wednesday.

At the crowdfunding campaign's closure, 178 donors had contributed $50,598 for the project. The amount raised qualifies the county for a $50,000 match from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Combined with previous donations nearing approximately $50,000, the total $150,000 will be enough to fund playground construction and establish a $20,000 fund devoted to playground maintenance.

In a public statement, Parks and Recreation Director Kristine Erickson thanked local residents and businesses for contributing to the project. "Our children will be able to get out and play at our most used county park again soon," said Erickson. "Thank you, thank you, for all of your financial support and encouragement. Any additional donations now will help add more components to the playground and make it even more ADA accessible."

A design for the new playground (pictured), which will be located just west of the former Kids Kove site near the Civic Center restrooms, was approved by Parks and Recreation commissioners in March. The playground features multiple structures with slides and climbing equipment, swingsets, balance beams, an extensive zipline and a children's climbing wall. The design is tailored to ages 2-12, according to the proposal from Penchura/Landscape Structures.