Town of Westville recgonizes donation to Meghan’s Place accessible playground
WESTVILLE – When Westville councillor Meghan Bragg passed away in July 2023, donations and calls came pouring into town hall from residents all over Pictou County asking how they would help remember her.
The town staff, including Mayor Lennie White and CAO Scot Weeres, set up a GoFundMe page dedicated to donations that would go towards an accessible playground, decidedly named, 'Meghan's Place'.
"She was always a champion of inclusivity and accessibility," said Weeres
in her final days, Bragg knew people would want to donate flowers, or food, or go looking for places to donate. She wanted to help the community grieve, but in a positive way that helped others. Hence, 'Meghan's Place' was born.
"The fact that there she was at the end of her life, still thinking of others," Weeres said. "What an incredible person to be so community-minded. I don't think I would have done the same."
In less than a year since Bragg's passing, just under $300,000 has been raised towards Meghan's place.
“We've had very generous donations from businesses all over the county,” said Weeres. “The provincial government has also stepped up and invested $150,000 in the park.”
Weeres said the town wants to recgonize these donations made, to show their appreciation for the fundraising the community has done so far. On April 18 Donna MacDonald and Karen MacKay from the Pictou County Mutual Fund presented a large cheque to Mayor Lennie White for $10,000
"The response from the community has been overwhelming," said Mayor Lennie White. "We are almost at our goal, and to reach this point in less than a year since we started the GoFundMe is amazing."
Once the fundraiser is complete, the first step is to start purchasing the accessible equipment.
“We're hoping that by this fall we can start construction, if all goes well then we can do a soft launch in late fall or early winter,” Weeres said.
The official opening for Meghan's Place is estimated to be in spring 2025.