Invest in the Future of Bent Creek Community Park

The Bent Creek Community Park Board is thrilled to announce an incredible opportunity for our community!

For more than a decade, a new playground has been one of the Board’s biggest goals. Like many small community parks, the cost of quality equipment placed that dream out of reach, until now!

Cunningham Recreation Playground Equipment, from Charlotte, NC has generously offered over a 50% discount on a full playground package. The company has requested only public recognition and promotional acknowledgment in connection with its 60th anniversary celebration and commitment to helping Western North Carolina rebuild after Hurricane Helene. More details about the timeline and financial breakdown are included below.

To secure this one-time opportunity, we need your help in raising $30,000

Why We Need Your Help

Bent Creek Community Park is truly a grassroots park. Besides in-kind donations from the County, it is a public park that is 100% supported and maintained by volunteers, community donations, pavilion rentals, and local sponsors, not public County funding.

That’s why we are launching Project Play, a community campaign to invest in a vibrant, welcoming space where children can play, families can gather, and neighbors can connect for generations to come.

If 1,000 people gave $30, we would reach our goal through true grassroots community support. All contributions make a meaningful impact on the future of our park.

The main component of Project Play includes new playground equipment and new swing sets. Any funds raised beyond the $30,000 goal would support additional park improvements or maintenance of existing amenities. Some ideas are a designated pickle ball court area, so it doesn't have to be shared with the basketball courts (we've heard this is a desire but are open to discussion about other ideas), as well as the on-going maintenance of the soccer field, pump track, mud kitchen, sports courts, etc.

The new playground design includes:

Multiple slides, including a large tube slide
Climbing features and rope elements
Modern, safety-focused equipment
Nature-inspired design and colors
Interactive play spaces for kids up to age 12
Updated landscaping with shade trees and natural boulders for seating or climbing

Buncombe County Parks & Recreation will be helping where they are able to. After Hurricane Helene, they had to divert park funding to recovery efforts and parks that were demolished. They are no longer able to match our existing funds with a grant (which was the plan in 2024). However, they are the ones who connected us with Cunningham Recreation for this opportunity and have also offered to help by ensuring ADA accessibility with the installation of an ADA parking space, as well as resurfacing of the basketball court and former pool area/multi-use space below the playground.

Financial Breakdown

$125,000 - Original cost of playground replacement, including swing set

$65,000 - Cost after generous discounts to equipment and installation costs provided by Cunningham Recreation. The company has requested only public recognition and promotional acknowledgment in connection with its 60th anniversary.

$40,000 - Existing playground fund (total combined from the 2021-2025 Shindig fundraisers and a $10,000 post-Helene donation to the playground specifically).

$25,000 - remaining amount needed for full playground replacement, which does not include a ground/surface border. Kyle Halloran has volunteered to design a beautiful landscape border featuring trees for shade and boulder seating areas. While the design services are being provided pro bono, at least $5,000 is needed to purchase the necessary materials.

We understand that $30,000 is an ambitious fundraising goal, and we hope this breakdown provides clarity on how these funds will directly support the project and why they are essential to its success.

Timeline

We’re optimistically hoping the project will be complete before the fall season, but don’t have a build date set just yet. Once funding is secured, playground equipment lead time is about 12 weeks. The installation will be done on a Thurs-Saturday with the final day being a celebratory neighborhood "Build Day" event! The goal date for raising funds is by end of July, but really, the faster we get to the goal, the sooner we can have it installed.

How Can You Support This Effort

Besides making a monetary donation, we encourage neighbors to reach out to local businesses, friends, family, and anyone who might understand the value of our neighborhood park. We’d be happy to provide a template for letters to share. Please email or contact us on social media for more information.

Donation Tiers

Community Champion - one time donation of any amount

Every donation helps move us one step closer to completing Project Play! If 1,000 people gave $30, we would reach our goal through true grassroots community support. All contributions make a meaningful impact on the future of our park.

Legacy Partner - $2,500 +

Contributions of $2,500 or more will receive permanent recognition through engraved plaques installed at the pavilion as part of this year’s park improvements. We encourage neighbors to engage with local businesses and community members interested in partnering with us to make Project Play a reality. Together, we can create a space that will continue to serve and inspire our neighborhood for generations.

*Asheville GreenWorks is our fiscal agent and we use their 501(c)3 certification. All donations are tax-deductible.

Want to pay by check?

Checks can be made payable to "Asheville GreenWorks" with "Bent Creek Community Park - Project Play" in the memo.

It's very important to include "Bent Creek Community Park - Project Play" in the memo to ensure the funds get assigned properly to our account.

Checks can be mailed to Asheville Greenworks at 2 Sulphur Springs Road Asheville, NC, 28806 or you can email bentcreekpark.org@gmail.com to schedule a board member to come pick it up.

Together, we can turn this rare opportunity into an incredible enhancement and to our cherished community park!

Questions? Please email bentcreekpark.org@gmail.com

PROJECT PLAY

Playground Replacement for Bent Creek Community Park