A community playground that offers possibilities and universal accessibility for all? It’s an idea that some Centerville residents are getting behind and want to make a reality.
Kim Boose, a Centerville resident helping to move forward the initiative to build an accessible playground in Leelanau County, said she first discovered one of these unique spaces on a visit with one of her grandkids last September to Port Washington, Wisconsin. Known as the “Possibility Playground,” the thoughtful design of the park is intended for children of all abilities. It integrates “play experiences for children with physical, cognitive, or developmental disabilities into fun, social interactions between children with and without disabilities.”
While at the Possibility Playground, Boose said she noticed things like how it didn’t utilize typical woodchips or sand as a base, but rather a rubberized mat material to make it easier for wheelchairs/walkers to get through. One of her favorite toys on site, a merry-go-round, sat flush with the walkway, so if kids were in wheelchairs, she said they could easily wheel in, and if they tipped off, they would land on the rubberized surface. She also liked how the playground design incorporated a fence for further precautions, and gave people who contributed to the project the opportunity to purchase a wooden slat that displays their names on it.
