By Andy Dahn

BLOOMINGTON – Western Avenue Community Center unveiled their new Bloomington playground at a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday night.

Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner said the park symbolizes the great work the organization has done for the City of Bloomington.

“Western Avenue has been a pillar of our community for 90 years and they’ve done lots of great things,” Renner said. “They had a really worn down, really old playground and playground equipment. And now this is really a bright spot for the community, a bright spot for the neighborhood and it’s really a great benefit for the Westside.”

Ward Seven Alderman Scott Black said the park is another positive contribution to the community from the local group.

“Time and time again, I hear that people want to see parks where kids can play and they want to see it with pillars of the community,” Black said. “Western Avenue is highly regarded on the Westside, people love it here and it’s great to see them expand and do very well.”

Renner added that residents can expect many more projects like this all over town.

“We want to do some public and private partnerships so that we can have the private sector and other private organizations help invest in our community,” said Renner. “That helps make Bloomington a great place to live, work and play.”

Western Avenue workers spent three days in July removing the existing playground to make room for the new equipment, which includes swing sets and multiple slides for children. The ribbon cutting was followed by a barbecue where parents could register children for the groups after school program.

Andy Dahn can be reached at [email protected].