Staff report
The city has been awarded a $50,000 T-Mobile Hometown Grant to help build a children’s playground at its new waterfront park in the historic downtown.
The project, called “Climb Fernandina,” will feature a play structure designed to reflect the community’s heritage as the birthplace of modern shrimping and the site of Florida’s first railroad.
“The Climb Fernandina play structure will let children know that Historic Downtown Fernandina Beach is not just for dining and shopping with their parents — it’s for children to play and exercise with other children too,” said Robert Martyn, general manager of the Hampton Inn & Suites Amelia Island-Historic Harbor Front. “With this structure in place, families will linger longer, creating a sense of family, community and place.”
The playground will include seating for parents and caregivers, as well as design elements celebrating the city’s maritime and rail history. Construction will coincide with ongoing improvements to the Amelia River Waterfront Park.
T-Mobile’s Hometown Grants Program is a $25 million, five-year initiative supporting small-town projects across America. Each quarter, T-Mobile partners with Main Street America to award up to 25 grants to communities seeking to create or enhance public spaces and downtown districts.
