News

$50,000 Contribution from Tire Pros, $150,000 Grant Secured by Supervisor Doug Nist, and 400+ Used Tires Create Unique Inclusive Playground at Reservoir Park in Massillon,OH.

Huntersville, N.C. – (September 19, 2013) – Tire Pros Francorp (Tire Pros), a wholly owned subsidiary of American Tire Distributors, Inc. (ATD), and the City of Massillon have opened Tread Town, a certified Boundless Playground, at Reservoir Park in Massillon, Ohio. This Tread Town Boundless Playground is special because it has been built to allow children with and without disabilities to play together. The grand opening of Tread Town will occur on Thursday, Sept. 19th from 5 – 7 p.m. at Reservoir Park, 905 Sippo Blvd Massillon, OH. The public is invited. Attendees will enjoy fun activities, music, food and giveaways provided by Discount Tire Outlet Tire Pros and the City of Massillon. During the event, Stark County Supervisor Doug Nist, Massillon Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry and representatives from Tire Pros will discuss the importance of the Tread Town Boundless Playground to the community of Massillon. A ribbon cutting ceremony will immediately follow the speakers’ comments.

Tire Pros donated $50,000 to supplement a $150,000 county park grant secured by Supervisor Nist, which allowed the City of Massillon to enhance the playground to allow families and their children with and without disabilities to play together. "This will be a 100-percent handicapped accessible playground. That’s what makes a Boundless Playground special," said Massillon Parks and Recreation’s Doug Nist. "I know the families of Massillon and surrounding communities will enjoy this Tread Town playground for years to come."

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are nearly seven million children nationwide that have a disability. This prohibits them from enjoying the full experience of a traditional community playground.

"Tread Town playgrounds provide safe, positive places for all children to play, learn and thrive,” said Dan Brown, President of Tire Pros. “We opened our first Tread Town in 2010 in Huntersville, N.C. where our parent company is based, and are proud to open our sixth Tread Town nationally and our first in the Massillon area, where we have an outstanding Tire Pros dealerships -- Discount Tire Outlet Tire Pros – who is very involved in the community and this grand opening event."

"We’re really fortunate to receive this grant from Tire Pros and Boundless Playgrounds," Massillon Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry said. "It was only awarded to two cities nationwide, and we were one of those. It is a great opportunity for kids of all abilities to play together."

Much of Tread Town’s foundation is constructed from recycled rubber including approximately 400 recycled tires, creating a universally accessible surface that allows children and caregivers with and without disabilities to navigate the playground freely and safely. The playground promotes inclusive, unstructured play with ramped wheelchair access to the highest platforms, and features an exclusive Tread Town tire swing, state-of-the art solid harness swings for children who need additional back support, and a multitude of other cutting-edge fitness and educational-based activities.

Tire Pros hopes to continue its partnership with Boundless Playgrounds and build similar inclusive playgrounds across the country in the coming years. A seventh Tread Town is scheduled to open in next week in Pasco, Washington.

Tire Pros and American Tire Distributors, Inc.
Tire Pros is a national franchise program of qualified local independent tire retailers united under the Tire Pros brand. Tire Pros Francorp is a subsidiary of American Tire Distributors, Inc. (ATD), which is based in Huntersville, N.C. ATD is one of the nation’s largest independent suppliers of tires to the replacement tire market. Through a network of 107 distribution centers serving 46 states, ATD focuses on helping tire and wheel retail dealers, including more than 500 independently owned Tire Pros stores across the country, effectively compete in their marketplace by offering the most complete, coast-to-coast selection of tires, wheels and related products and value-added services.

Boundless Playgrounds
Boundless Playgrounds is the leading nonprofit developer of truly inclusive playgrounds where children of all abilities gain the important developmental and physical benefits of unstructured play. On a Boundless Playground all children can be in the middle of the fun. There are 240 Boundless Playgrounds in 37 states, DC and Canada, with dozens more under development. For more information about Boundless Playgrounds, visit www.boundlessplaygrounds.org.