The Accessible Playground at Spruce Haven in Melfort officially opened in the summer of 2019. (Mat Barrett/northeastNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

International Recognition

Spruce Haven Accessible Playground in Melfort receives international award

Nov 16, 2019 | 9:00 AM

The City of Melfort has received some international recognition.

Melfort has received the Dr. Lucija Čikeš Award given to a community who assists people with special needs and challenges. The award is given out by Fiscalis, an organization specialized in cultural and tourism marketing. The award was handed out on Friday, Nov. 15 in Croatia.

Communities in Bloom (CIB) also plays a big part in the award as Melfort’s committee put in the application for the award after being informed about it by the judges at the national ceremony in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Peggy George with the CIB Melfort said it’s all part of a big picture.

“This is all part of the international arm of the Communities in Bloom,” she said. “And what that program is trying to nurture with other countries.”

The Spruce Haven Accessible Playground was officially opened in the summer of 2019 and is a very colourful, 9000 sq. ft. playground that features a climbing wall and many other accessible features. There is also an accessible water park right next to it that was also opened this past summer.

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“It’s accessible to everyone and anyone,” George told northeastNOW. “It’s for wheelchairs, it’s for all intellectual abilities, and that’s what the award is about and that’s why we won it.”

The award adds to Melfort’s decorated trophy case for their facilities. They’ve received some provincial recognition for the Spruce Haven project before, and they’ve also received an award for the Historic Post Office.

“I should hope that everyone appreciates what we have,” George said. “Because it is amazing for a community of this size to have the facilities that we have.”

George said awards like this make Melfort known and draws more people to the area.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6