PONDER — Town leaders approved Monday a $30,000 contribution from economic development funds toward a new playground in Eddie Deussen Jr. Park.

The contribution puts the town’s parks board over the top in funds it needs to begin construction of the Western-themed playground this weekend.

Parks Board President Chris Norwood told the Town Council during its regular meeting Monday that volunteers will put up a construction fence and begin building the playground’s perimeter fence Saturday.

Construction will begin Oct. 13 and will be done primarily by volunteers through Oct. 17. Even Sunmount Corp. will donate materials and employee time to put in the asphalt parking lot, Norwood told the Town Council.

He also encouraged each of the council members to take a work shift this week.

“We want people in the community to see you out there,” Norwood said. “We need volunteers more than anything right now.”

Council member Ryan Rouse said he would make an announcement of the need at his church on Wednesday, after learning that the parks board may not have asked his church directly for volunteers.

Much of the more than 6,300-square-foot play land has been designed with special-needs children in mind, including a therapeutic swing, a low ladder and crawl tunnel, and a ramp to a rocking covered wagon.

The construction plans also include a slide descending from a giant cowboy boot, a “Wild West” maze, a Western town around a sandbox, a spring pony, a bucking bronco platform, swings, tunnels and climbing spaces.

Mayor Jeff Vardell told Norwood that he was pleased with how the group is trying to handle unexpected details, including a dust-up over four mature trees that needed to be removed from the park.

Norwood said the trees were removed in such a way that they can be replanted elsewhere in the park.

In an interview after the Town Council meeting, Public Works Director Gary Morris said that the trees were not in the area where the playground would be built, but in a drainage ditch next to it. The removal was required to handle storm runoff from the playground.

He said park board members and town leaders were still determining where the trees could be replanted.

PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her e-mail address is pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com.