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Community Corner

Meriden Named One of America's Most Playful Cities

The city scored a $20,000 Let's Play grant for new playground equipment at City Park.

A playground within walking distance of every child. That’s the goal of KABOOM!--a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing America’s deficit—its play deficit, that is. KABOOM! recently named Meriden one of the 2011 Most Playful Cities in America because of the number of parks and playgrounds here.

Today’s children spend less time playing outdoors than any past generation, according to the Stanford University School of Medicine. To address that problem, KABOOM! has launched its Let’s Play initiative, a drive to build or renovate 2,000 playgrounds across North America by 2013, benefiting about five million children in the process. And Meriden is leading the way.

Meriden is one of three Connecticut cities or towns chosen as America’s 150 most playful. The other two Connecticut communities are Hartford and Coventry.

Find out what's happening in Meridenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As an official Playful City, Meriden also received a $20,000 Let’s Play Playground Construction Grant. Only 20 of this year’s 150 chosen cities received the grants, part of a $15 million, three-year commitment to KABOOM! from the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. Meriden now has one year to raise matching funds, according to City Councilor Dante Bartolomeo. The money will be used for basketball equipment and a rope climbing system at City Park.

The Let’s Play grant will be folded into a larger citywide project--The City Park and Brookside Park Revitalization Initiative. This effort will renovate two adjoining city parks, creating an appealing outdoor recreational area featuring a skating pond, basketball and volleyball courts, playscapes, picnic areas, a community garden and more. The project is already in its beginning stages, Bartolomeo says.

Find out what's happening in Meridenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Meriden has more than 26 park facilities, including Hubbard Park, New England's largest city-owned park. More than 3,000 acres, or 17% of city land is devoted to parks.

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