Editor's note: This article was originally published Feb. 16, 2012.
A northwest-side park had ball fields, a dog park and even a "Beat Cancer Boot Camp" obstacle course, but no place for little ones.
So neighbor Carrie Baarstad decided to do something about it.
The result: Last week Pima County dedicated a playground at Northwest Community Park, 7601 N. Mona Lisa Road, to Baarstad's daughter, Lauren, who is 3.
Baarstad emailed Pima County District 1 supervisor Ann Day in November 2010, asking for a playground to be added to the park.
Day approved the funds for the playground, which includes a slide and a shade structure. The project cost approximately $64,753, $15,000 of which was a contribution from Day's office. The rest came from 2004 General Obligation Bonds.
"It is often said great things come in small packages. In this case, great things come in small projects," Day said.
Day said she is proud of Baarstad for being the voice that made it all possible. In Day's 12 years in office, Baarstad was the only constituent to ask for play equipment for smaller children. The equipment installed at Northwest Community Park is specifically for kids ages 2 to 5.
"My motto is to just ask, and the worst that someone can say is no," Baarstad said.
Valerie Samoy, staff assistant to Day, said getting the approval for the play equipment was easy.
"Parks are non-controversial," she said.
Samoy also said Baarstad's request really resonated with her and Day, because they both think youth recreation is important.
Baarstad said after she sent the original email, the follow-up from Day's office was immediate.
"I was so amazed that she remembered me," Baarstad said. "It just makes a person happy."
During last Thursday's dedication, Lauren played on the new playground with a friend while Day spoke.
"Lauren, you're the star today. You're the honoree," Day told her.
Later, Lauren, sporting blue polka-dotted sunglasses, told Day, "Thank you for my park."
Baarstad's husband, Andy, said that when the playground was being built by Durazo Construction, Lauren would cry because she couldn't get through the fence to play.
George Cook of the county's parks department said, "When the fences went down, there were kids waiting to use the equipment."
Chris Fox, 75, a neighbor of the Baarstad family and member of the homeowners association board for the Mona Lisa Heights neighborhood, is excited about the new playground because there are lots of kids in the neighborhood.
"It's a very nice play area," she said. "We're really lucky to have a county park here."
Ashley Grove is a University of Arizona student who is an apprentice at the Star. Contact her at 573-4117 or at starapprentice@azstarnet.com
