Children in Lisbon have a new place to play at the MTM Center, thanks to volunteers who came out in droves this past weekend to build a playground. The opening comes after a whirlwind campaign that raised $55,000 in only three weeks.

The playground will be formally dedicated on Aug. 1 in the name of Mitchell Joseph Breton-Tuplin, who died in a dirt bike accident in 2012. His family donated $16,000 from a scholarship fund in his name.

The Lisbon Town Council also contributed $20,000 toward the project.

On June 6, the council voted to purchase equipment from manufacturer GameTime for a little more than $49,000.

Positive Change Lisbon’s Ross Cunningham said that a GameTime representative was at the site Friday to begin the two-day installation — a day earlier than expected, so a group of volunteers quickly formed to start the work. About 20 volunteers showed up at 7 a.m. Saturday and worked up until the playground was completed — just before it began to rain.

The recreation department on Monday spread 120 cubic yards of wood chips at the site. Then it was a matter of waiting for cement to cure.

The playground was to be open by 8 a.m. this morning, although there is still more landscaping to be done before the formal ribbon cutting next month, Cunningham said.

According to Cunningham, the project’s impetus came after parents asked on social media, “Hey, why don’t we have a decent playground we can use in this town?”

Lisbon Recreation Director Mark Stevens had initially envisioned a two-year timeline for a new playground.

“I said no, we can make this happen,” Cunningham said.

The MTM Center, which houses the town’s recreation department, is located at 18 School St.

dmoore@timesrecord.com