A Stephenville playground now has a new name after a special little boy, Carter Lee.
At the Tuesday, Jan. 6 meeting, Stephenville City Council renamed the inclusive playground, known as Terrell Park, located within the City Park, to the Carter Lee Memorial Playground.
The inclusive playground project was made possible through a joint effort between the city and Waste Connections. The waste management company requested the playground be named in honor of Carter Lee Sharp, the child of Adam and Emily Sharp, who passed away from an accidental drowning in 2020 at three years old. Adam is the District Manager for Waste Connections.
“After Carter passed, we were trying to turn something so tragic into something good,” Adam said.
Not only did The Sharps start The Carter Lee Foundation which provides scholarships for survival swim lessons and supporting other families who have been affected by a childhood drowning, he also pitched the idea of an all inclusive playground to the city.
“I work in Stephenville and thought, ‘What is something I can do to make an impact for kids— especially those with special needs?,’” he said. In 2021, Waste Connections began hosting a benefit golf tournament with those funds going to the city each year specifically for the inclusive playground.
Though it was never Adam’s intent for the facility to be named in honor of Carter, due to the strong business relationship between the city and Waste Connections, the city and waste management company wanted to honor Carter and his family.
“We are very thankful they did that and extremely honored,” Adam said.
B.T. Rhodes of Waste Connections was also present for the presentation.
“We were able to finish this a lot faster than we ever would have been able to on our own,” Daron Trusell, Director of Parks and Leisure Services, said.
“I would like to voice my appreciation for Waste Connections for the service they’ve provided for the city of Stephenville for all these years, because they’ve done an exemplary job. People like Adam are the ones we’ve been fortunate to deal with,” Councilmember Alan Nix said.
For those interested in donating to raise awareness of the risks of childhood drowning and increase prevention education, go to www. carterleefoundation. com for more information.
City of Stephenville Deputy City Secretary Jacey Wood was also awarded as the TMCA Bluebonnet Chapter Clerk of the Year and recognized during the council meeting.
“She has the highest standards of professionalism and service. Her contributions for both the Bluebonnet chapter and the city of Stephenville make her especially deserving of this award,” a TMCA Bluebonnet representative said.
Council also unanimously approved the proposal from KSA for the professional engineering services of the Longley Driveway relocation project at a cost of $104,615. The project must be completed in order for the city to extend the runway at Clark Regional Airport.
The entire project cost is $784,636 with the city paying a portion and the state paying a portion.