City of Columbia recognized as 2016 Playful City USA Community
May 18, 2016
The City of Columbia is being honored with a 2016 Playful City USA designation for the third time. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the national recognition program honors cities and towns across the country for making their cities more playable.
The City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department operates and maintains 60 city parks and green spaces, 600 acres of city-maintained park land, 55 tennis courts and several city pools, spray pads and ponds, including a new pool facility at Greenview Park. All city parks are open year-round from dawn to dusk with no entrance fees.
The Parks and Recreation Department provides a variety of programming from athletics and cultural arts to health and wellness and special events. Such programming includes the Mayor’s Drills & Skills Clinics, Kids Day, Girls Golf clinics, nature walks and more.
The City of Columbia has invested in several projects to increase opportunities for children to play including the renovation of Roy Lynch Park, the completion of the Greenview Pool and the expansion of its outdoor adventure program.
Communities across the country are creating innovative ways to bring back play and attract residents through family friendly activities. Interactive sidewalk art, designated play spaces on trails and the transformation of schoolyards into active play areas are just a few examples of how cities are becoming more playful.
“We are thrilled to recognize these communities that have invested their time and efforts to put kids first,” said KaBOOM! CEO James Siegal. “Balanced and active play is crucial to the well-being of kids and the communities that they thrive in. By integrating play into cities, the leaders of Playful Cities USA are working to attract and retain the thousands of families that want homes in close proximity to safe places to play.”
To see the full list of the 257 communities named 2016 Playful City USA honorees, or to gather more information on the Playful City USA program, visit www.playfulcityusa.org.
For more information about the City of Columbia’s parks, recreation centers and programs, please contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 803-545-3100.
