The company also donated 16 acres behind its store at 899 Blanding Blvd. for a "Boundless Playground," which will include swings, a picnic area and trails that physically challenged children can use. The largest part of the park, however, will be a special softball field made of rubber to allow children in wheelchairs to play the game.
Company officials and County Commissioners were on hand at the store for a ceremonial check presentation.
"I am thrilled to make this grant and to jumpstart the project," said Cindi Marsiglio, Walmart’s senior manager for public affairs and government relations in Florida.
Walmart agreed when it purchased the former Hall Ace Hardware property to develop area behind the store into a park. Residents initially raised some concerns about traffic because early designs had an access road connecting Blanding to Moody Avenue, but those plans were later altered.
The $1.2 million will allow the county to begin developing the yet-unnamed park and install infrastructure, said county parks director Tom Price. At least another $1 million will be needed to complete the park -- money the county hopes to get through applying for state or federal grants or private donations.
Once architects complete their work, county crews will start building the parking lot and other basic work, he said.
"We should get started in about a year," Price said. "It will take two or three years to complete all of it."
Former Commissioner Harold Rutledge was on hand for the check presentation. It was Rutledge who suggested the county develop the site as a Boundless Playground after plays for a similar park in Lake Asbury didn’t materialize.
County planners initially wanted to ask for only $200,000 from the company, but Rutledge said he felt Walmart would donate more and urged the planners to seek the $1.2 million.
"It’s truly a great day for the kids of Clay County and the adults, too," Rutledge said during the ceremony attended by about two dozen store employees.
Commission Chairman Wendell Davis accepted the check on behalf of the County Commission. He thanked the company for making the donation during difficult economic times.
"A grant of $1.2 million is very helpful and goes a long way," Davis said.
The property has gone undeveloped for nearly two years, making some to wonder if the park would become a reality. Going on behind the scenes, though, were continuing discussions with architects about what amenities the Boundless Playground should include, said Jill McElyea of Orange Park.
She and her husband, Brian, started a non-profit organization, Bri’s Endless Horizons Inc. after hearing about plans for the park. The organization is named after their 14-year-old daughter, Brienna, who has cerebral palsy.
"We decided we could wait or we could become part of the solution," Brian McElyea said.
There are currently 10 Boundless Playgrounds in Florida.
Brian McElyea said they’re hopeful the challenge baseball league his daughter nows plays in at NAS Jacksonville can move to the new park once it’s completed.
There are very few places for physically challenged children to play in Clay County, even though there are an estimated 9,000 kids with some kind of disability, he said.
"We very excited to have the commissioners’ support in this," he said. "These parks allow children with and without disabilities to play together through inclusion. It’s just beautiful."
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