FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio -- For years, Fairview Park officials have talked about turning Nelson Russ Park from a passive green space into an epicenter of recreation activity in the city.

Nelson Russ Park in Fairview Park will soon be getting a new inclusive playground. (Beth Mlady, special to cleveland.com)

The last piece of that plan fell into place recently when the Cuyahoga County Council awarded Fairview Park a $50,000 Community Development Supplemental Grant.

"We applied in November for Community Development Supplemental Grant funding to fully implement a playground that was proposed for Nelson Russ Park," said Monica Rossiter, the city's community development planner.

"This is just the next phase of our Nelson Russ Park improvement plan. So the funding is going strictly towards the playground area, which will be completed by the end of this year," she said.

The innovative playground -- which is designed for children of all ages, stages of development and physical capabilities -- will encourage interaction, inclusivity, creativity, teamwork and imaginative play.

The equipment includes a zip line, a pyramid of climbing cubes, a multifaceted climbing structure that simulates play on a hill, and swings.

Funding for the entire $360,000 renovation of Nelson Russ Park, formerly the site of the city's old building department and safety town structures, began with a $161,543 matching Land & Water Conservation Fund Grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

There's also a $47,000 Cleveland Clinic donation and a $50,000 Community Development Supplemental Grant from 2017 for a pavilion, which is currently under construction and due to be completed this spring.

In addition to the playground, the area will also include an ADA-accessible trail loop.

"That's going to be connecting the pavilion to the playground," Rossiter said. "We're going to have some outdoor fitness equipment lining the trail, and we'll be resurfacing the parking lot. We're just going to be making improvements to the entire site over the next year.

"This is a pretty huge project for us. There aren't many green spaces in Fairview, a mostly built-out suburb. We're taking this opportunity to provide more ADA-accessible recreational opportunities. There's really going to something for everyone in this park when it's complete."