December 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 49

Kids at the Manette Neighborhood Park
in Bremerton, Washington, are a part of
the 1 million children and families with
improved access to inclusive play spaces.

to serving people with disabilities.
Before they received the Meet Me
at the Park grant, there was no fully accessible play space and options
were limited for healthy play. To
remedy this, they chose to transform a local park into a state-of-theart accessible playground, a place
where all kids could feel included.
A tremendous amount of research
went into identifying proper equipment for all abilities. The components not only had to accommodate
a range of abilities, but also fit within the framework of the existing
park and provide a variety of physical and sensory experiences. Postrenovation, the park continues to
have a beneficial impact on the
neighborhood and surrounding
community.
Results of the evaluations also
showed that the play space renovations have had a positive effect on
park use and park-based physical
activity. The increased exposure
to natural settings and improved
physical activity can have longterm positive impacts on health
outcomes. These large-scale infrastructure improvements are a
significant capital investment, but
evaluation suggests that this investment is paying off through increased use of these neighborhood
play areas and subsequent community engagement.
The Heartland Regional Medical
Center Playground was renovated into a space that children and
adults of all ability levels from the
Southern Illinois and tri-state area
can enjoy. The renovations include
a fitness area to encourage physical

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CITY OF BREMERTON PARKS & RECREATION

that, it encourages them to carry
those habits throughout their life. "
Intercept surveys showed that
the park renovations had a positive
influence on nearby communities
and increased the number of respondents who indicated they and
their children were exercising and
playing more. Improved play spaces led to 80 percent of surveyed
park visitors feeling the projects
had a positive impact on nearby
communities and a 16 percent increase in first-time park visitors.
This impact was also seen in
Highland, Illinois' Rinderer Park,
a 2018 grant recipient. The city
of Highland constructed a playground that supports children and
adults with physical limitations.
The playground is designed so that
people of all abilities can interact with the play space. The playground features sensory panels, a
rock challenge wall, vertical climber, log slice climber and pod climber. " This playground states loud
and clear that Highland cares for
its residents and values people of
all abilities, " says a local resident.
Park department personnel indicated that their involvement in
conducting the intercept surveys
helped them connect with community members, learn firsthand
how the renovations have impacted
park use, identify additional park
improvements that are wanted by
community members and understand how to better communicate
with the people who live nearby.
This type of community engagement was also evident in a Play Spaces grant-funded project in Ocean
Springs, Mississippi. For many
years, the city of Ocean Springs has
worked closely with Disability Connection, a local nonprofit dedicated

activity. The park's new improvements will allow people to come together to create new memories and
friendships. According to a park
volunteer, " The development of
this playground will help children
understand that it is OK to be different and accept one another for
who they are. "
These innovative and transformative projects have provided inspiration to local park agencies across
the country to include accessible
and welcoming play spaces in their
communities. The Meet Me at the
Park program continues to demonstrate that by coming together, we
can provide kids and families across
the country with access to healthier
lifestyles, as well as with safe, inclusive and innovative play spaces to
enjoy for years to come.
- Jennifer Stromberg, Program
Manager for NRPA

W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 |

Parks & Recreation

December 2019 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2019 - Parks & Recreation