Friends and family of Christina-Taylor Green, the youngest victim of the shooting rampage that occurred in Tucson last January, now have a place where they can remember her and be inspired by her short life. The Christina-Taylor Green Little Hands Playground at Mesa Verde Elementary school was built with contributions from a number of organizations, including $13,000 worth of concrete construction donated by Sundt‘s Concrete Division and coordinated through the Sundt Foundation.
The project was organized by the Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Foundation as a living memorial and much-needed improvement to the aging playground, which hadn’t been upgraded since the school was built 35 years ago. Christina-Taylor was a third grader there when she lost her life last January during a public “meet and greet” event with Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
The new climbing structures and playground equipment rest on a floor of rubber tiles (for improved fall protection) and are canopied by an expansive shade structure. Volunteers from Sundt poured the 2,500-square-foot, four-inch-thick foundation, which includes a four-inch curb around the perimeter to frame the rubber tiles. They also installed the aggregate base course sub base and water-cured the slab to prepare it for the tile adhesive.
“Sundt was privileged to be part of this project,” said Sundt Foundation Vice President Tom Crohurst. “We hope the playground brings joy to many children, just as Christina-Taylor Green did to those who knew her.”