GIFTTT is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation whose mission is to bring together area residents to contribute funds and labor for the purpose of building quality recreational facilities in Silver City, New Mexico.  Our philosophy, stated in our logo, is to "Build a Park, Build a Community."

A small group of volunteers founded the corporation in January 1998, and began publicizing the project, organizing the community and raising funds.  The culmination of this effort was construction of the park's first phase - the Penny Playground - at 1305 Grant Street, Silver City, in April, 1999.  Thousands of people - children and senior citizens, jail detainees and bank presidents - volunteered their labor to build the facilities, designed by Robert Leathers and Associates, an Ithaca, NY firm specializing in community built projects.

The project began with polling of local school children to gather ideas of what types of equipment and features they would like to see in their "ultimate playground."  The resulting 15,000 square-foot playground is filled with a huge variety of imaginative climbing structures, slides, swings, bridges, balance beams, castle structures and picnic grounds, shaded by mature cottonwood and elm trees.

In the fall of 1999, volunteers gathered again to construct a number of above-
ground ramps and half-pipe structures which were placed on property leased to the Town of Silver City for a temporary skatepark. The idea behind a temporary facility was to show commitment to teens that their recreational desires also would be addressed. The existing skatepark equipment is in need of repair and maintenance work while we await construction of the permanent facility.

In April 2000, hundreds of volunteers again converged on the park to build a 310 seat amphitheater/dance floor. The amphitheater structure also shelters our maintenance shop and concession stand.

Volunteers came together again in June, 2001, to construct one large and three small picnic pavilions. In Fall, 2001, skatepark volunteers expanded the half-pipe and completed a pyramid box structure at the temporary skatepark site. Other features are being added as volunteers and materials become available.

A bouldering wall was built at the park in 2002. Volunteers from the community created the design and built the structure, which is proving extremely popular with young children and teens.  Brick flooring for the picnic pavilions was also added that year.

A permanent concession stand was completed in 2003 and is open during special events in the park. We are working diligently to complete construction of permanent restrooms by the end of summer 2004.  The current monthly bill for porta-john rental and cleaning is more than $500 per month (oooh, porta potties... so sorry to see you go... Bye Bye!).  The facilities will include men's and women's restrooms and a universally accessible unisex restroom, with changing area for babies and toddlers.

The master plan for the park includes a permanent "Extreme Sports Park," for in-line skaters, bicyclists and skateboarders; a children's museum, additional teen components, hard surface "ball wall" area, a sand volleyball court, a water play feature, walkways encircling the park, and additional landscaped garden and picnic areas. An office space on-site is also included in the plan. Our amphitheater is incomplete in that dressing rooms are needed, the stage needs to be enlarged, and we hope to acquire sound and lighting equipment for dramatic productions and concerts, dances, etc.

To date, construction cost for the playgrounds, amphitheater, temporary skatepark, picnic pavilions, climbing wall, landscaping, fencing and other amenities is approximately $400,000. The existing facility is valued at over one million dollars.  Donation of volunteer labor, materials and in-kind services is what kept the price of this facility relatively low.

The park facilities are located on Town-owned property, and once facilities are constructed, they become the property of the Town. The Town and the non-profit corporation have a contractual agreement, under which the corporation is charged with building, maintaining and operating the park. The Town provides insurance, utilities and in-kind contributions as well.

In the year 2000, three additional parcels of land were added to the park. It is anticipated that the park could continue to grow over the next several decades, possibly linking with other town park or green space areas through a series of trails or pedestrian bridges.

Future funding needs will depend on the desires of the community for additional facilities.  The estimated cost of the extreme sports park is near $500,000 if built commercially, or less if materials and site preparation can be donated.  Legislative allocations for 2002 and 2003 totaling $300,000 are earmarked toward that project, as well as another $22,000 raised in 2002.  We have already bought and paid for a professional skatepark design by Academy Skatepark Design of Scottsdale, AZ.

Utilizing as much volunteer labor as possible, the children's museum could cost as little as $500,000, or commercially built, could have a price as high as $1.6 million - and additional funding will be needed for staffing. These are "ballpark" figures, since neither facility has yet been designed.

Ultimately, to complete all the park components in our November 2000 master plan, total construction costs could range from $1.6 million, with a high degree of community volunteer labor, up to $3,048,000.00 to have the facilities commercially built. Operating expenses for GIFTTT are running approximately $50,000 annually (Spring '03.)

The Community Built Park is a continuing source of pride in this community and has helped spawn similar (but less elaborate) projects in Carlsbad, Las Cruces, and Ruidoso, NM.

For further information, or to request a copy of the GIFTTT Corporate Plan, 

please contact
Gwyneth Jones.