Wheelchair accessible playground equipment is expected to open Monday at Bacon Park.
Kiwanis Club volunteers began assembly Wednesday of the $60,000, all inclusive structure.
The Poplar Bluff group spent more than three years fundraising for the project, with the goal of creating a place where children of all abilities could play together.
"It's important because providing a safe place for children of all abilities and ages to play together encourages those same children to work together later," said Subrina Berger, Kiwanis Club member and past president. "When children are playing, they do not look at each other's differences, it's just, 'how can I have the most fun.'"
The club raised about $35,000 from the community for the effort and won $25,000 in the 2016 Legacy of Play contest hosted by Kiwanis International.
This is only phase one of the project, said Berger.
The group would like to raise an additional $70,000, possibly through business or group sponsorship of units, to add more all inclusive play equipment.
The current structure has wheelchair ramps that allow children to access multiple levels, as well as wheelchair accessible activities around the base of the equipment.
It also contains climbing walls, monkey bars, slides and other activities.
The second phase would bring what is described as "transferable equipment." This would allow a child with mobility issues to use a swing, seesaw or other equipment.
A seesaw for mobility impaired children includes four pods that allow the child to move onto the unit and be secure, Berger said.
The mission of Kiwanis is to help children, explained member Miranda Fickert. When the group looked around Poplar Bluff, it saw gaps in ways for children of all abilities to play, she said.
The next closest all accessible equipment is in Cape Girardeau, Fickert said.
Many volunteers came together to help with the installation, said Kiwanis member Dennis Avery.
The equipment was assembled Wednesday and bolted into the concrete Thursday.
A rubberized surface is expected to be poured today. This will allow wheelchair access to the equipment, while providing a soft surface for falls.
The surface needs 72 hours to set before anyone can play on it, said Berger.
The following people volunteered to help with installation: Mayor Ed DeGaris; members of Memorial Baptist Church, Scott Cheshire, Dennis Ward and Tim Ingle; Chad Whitmer, Chris Gordon, Kit Skaggs, Robert Highland; Kiwanis members Avery, Berger, Kathy Brittingham and Margaret Carter; and Mingo Job Corps members Bradley McGinnes, Brendan Woods, Kameron Kemp, Jackson Wagner, Justin Ripko, Jonathan Jewell and Blake Reynolds.