EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. – Boundless Backyard, the city’s first all-inclusive playground, has secured full funding for its second and final phase of construction, marking a major milestone for Excelsior Springs Parks and Recreation. With nearly $1 million now committed through a combination of grant, donated, and raised funds, the project is expected to reach completion by spring or summer of 2027.
The Excelsior Springs Parks and Recreation Department recently received a $500,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant to help finish the Boundless Backyard playground, located off West Jesse James Road. The city’s Capital Improvements Authority approved a $350,000 match for the grant at their meeting on 10/14/2025, with the Parks Foundation contributing roughly $100,000 raised through community fundraising events like the Piccadilly Gala. The remaining $50,000 in matching funds will come directly from Parks and Recreation.
“This project has been nearly a decade in the making,” said Parks and Recreation Director Nate Williams, who’s overseen Boundless Backyard from its earliest concept. “It started with donated land in 2016, and it’s grown into something that will change how families experience our parks.”
The city received the land donation of over 4 acres from Kim and Gary Sanson in 2016, at which time the area was heavily overgrown and nearly inaccessible. Since then, phase one of the project has brought significant transformation, including the construction of a parking lot, sidewalks, restroom facility, picnic shelter, and the Butterfly Haven, an educational native plant garden meant to attract pollinators. Those components were designed to prepare the space for the next and final step: the inclusive playground.
Williams explained that the Land and Water Conservation Fund grant, administered through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, supports outdoor recreation projects that meet strict accessibility and community benefit criteria. “They only awarded six of these grants statewide this year,” he said. “We’re one of those six, and we received our full request.”
The playground design process, which is still underway, will begin to finalize over the next several months, and it draws heavily from research and community input. Williams and members of his team toured Harper’s Playground in Portland—an organization whose “radically inclusive” philosophy has influenced projects nationwide, alongside a handful of other parks and contractors. The goal, he said, is to create a well-researched and one-of-a-kind park that fits Excelsior Springs’ own needs and character.
“I don’t want a playground that looks like fifty others,” Williams said.
Boundless Backyard’s final phase may include elements like adaptive swings and seating, hillside slides, sensory play zones, communication boards, and climbing structures designed for a range of physical abilities. The playground will use contoured landscapes rather than traditional towers to ensure accessibility across multiple elevations.
Equally important, the park is designed to serve of all abilities, but this also considers the needs of parents and caregivers. “It’s for everyone,” Williams said. “A parent in a wheelchair will be able to push their child on a swing, something many have never been able to do before.”
Williams plans to finalize the project’s request for proposals this fall, with input from a new community advisory group made up of parents, educators, and advocates with direct experience in accessibility and adaptive recreation within Excelsior Springs. Members include former school district staff, public safety officials, and knowledgeable community members and parents. Their feedback will help guide decisions about which play and park features will be the most fun and beneficial for children of all abilities.
The city has two years from the grant’s official start date—October 1, 2025—to complete construction. Parks and Recreation anticipates breaking ground once bids are finalized and aims to celebrate a grand opening by spring 2027.
While Boundless Backyard will soon stand as Excelsior Springs’ most expensive park project to date, with costs expected to exceed $1 million, Williams views it as an investment bigger than numbers. “We’re building something that gives every child and every parent a place to belong,” he said.
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