UPDATE:   It's been 5 years in the making, but the Rotary Club of Sparks says it's made the largest single donation they've ever made.$80,000 will go toward building a new playground at the Sparks Marina.

A round of applause rung out at Monday’s Reno City Council Meeting for the Rotary Club of Sparks as they handed in an $80,000 check to help pay for a new handicap accessible playground at the Sparks Marina  “The park costs about $880,000. The Sparks city council has already committed about $550,000,” said  Don Welsh from the Rotary Club of Sparks.

The hope is the donation sends out a message to others.” Other foundations, they wanted to see some money in the game. Now that we've done that, now we can go to them and look for addition donations,” said Welsh.

The city council also voted to look for grants.$220,000 dollars is a lot to raise, but a lot of people will benefit.“It's not just the child coming into play. What about the parent, the caregiver, or the grandparent that may have that disability that now is going to be able to go in and interact with them,” said Sparks Parks Development Coordinator Chris Cobb.

Cobb says many of the aspects of inclusive playground at Pah Rah Mountain Park will be reflected in the new project. An impact resistant surface will make falls safer and access easier for wheelchairs. However, research into playground equipment has just started. “There could be swings or slides. There's a table that has rollers on it. So someone who doesn't have the strength to do monkey bars can lie on the rollers, and pull themselves down a table,” said Cobb.

Features for the visually and hearing impaired are a possibility. “There could possibly be sensory items, whether it makes a noise or whether it has a tactile function that you can feel,” sad Cobb.

Different types of swings, are also a possible. “You could have a parent with a baby on there or if someone has muscular issues you could either be on there with them or give them that swing option,” said Cobb.

There are a number of possibilities, but none can happen until the funding is secured.

The Sparks City Council has accepted a donation of $80,000 towards building an accessible playground at the Sparks Marina.

The donation from the Sparks Rotary Club will cover nearly half of the $200,000 needed to fund the project.

The City is already committing $550,000 of the total cost.

This second park will be similar to the first one built in Pah Rah Mountain Park.