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ARLINGTON — A playground where children who use wheelchairs or walkers or have other disabilities can enjoy swings, slides and other fun activities is closer to reality.
The Arlington Parks Department has nearly completed designs for a $600,000 universally accessible playground that is expected to open in Randol Mill Park next summer. But before breaking ground next spring, the city hopes to raise an additional $100,000 to provide even more specialty equipment and gather input from residents on amenities they would like to see in future phases, parks project manager Kurt Beilharz said.The playground will be west of the Doug Inman Miracle League Field, a barrier-free baseball field that opened in 2006 for mentally and physically disabled children. The city began planning its first barrier-free playground in response to parents’ requests."I’m more proud of Miracle Field than anything else in Arlington. Most of the kids that play there don’t even know they have a disability. They have such a good time," Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said. "Shame on us for not doing it sooner."The playground and additional parking will be funded by $500,000 in voter-approved bonds and a $100,000 grant from the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, which manages much of the city’s natural gas revenue. Traditional playgrounds often have barriers that keep disabled children from interacting with others and having fun, Beilharz said. Many of the structures at the new playground will be on a smooth rubberized surface that is wheelchair-friendly and will have shade structures. The playground equipment will also include features such as ramps instead of stairs, ground-level activities and wide platforms that will allow two wheelchairs to pass. "The ideal would be to have special-needs children completely integrated with kiddos that have just come in to play. We want everyone playing together," said Anne Weydeck, an administrator with the Arlington school district who manages special projects for special education. Bob Stoessel, whose wife teaches children who are too sick or disabled to attend school, is one of the residents who have urged the city to improve playground accessibility.He said traditional playgrounds have pea-gravel or wood-chip surfaces that impede children with disabilities."They get to go to the playground but sit in their wheelchair or walker or on the bench and watch the other kids have fun," Stoessel said. "These kids want to do the same things as kids who don’t have limitations."Beilharz said more than $120,000 of the park’s funding is going toward building additional parking and paying design fees. He is seeking corporate sponsors and private donors to buy additional interactive amenities, such as chimes or special slides, that range from $4,000 to $40,000.
To weigh in The Arlington Parks Department is seeking input on amenities for a new Randol Mill Park playground designed to improve accessibility for children with disabilities. Public meeting, 6 p.m. Nov. 17 at Wimbish Elementary School, 1601 Wright St. For more information: 817-459-5478.
SUSAN SCHROCK, 817-390-7639
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