ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Hundreds turned up for the grand opening of the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor's Centennial Playground on Sunday, Sept. 17.
Also called the Universal Access Playground, it is accessible for children of all abilities, and for parents and caregivers with disabilities who wish to interact with and supervise their children with ease.
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Ann Arbor Mayor Chris Taylor kicked off the ceremony praising all those who made the project happen, saying "Ann Arbor is beautiful because of who we are and what we do."
Ann Arbor Mayor Chris Taylor speaks at the grand opening ceremony (Photo: Meredith Bruckner)
A member of the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor also spoke, and asked if anyone in the audience ever felt they weren't able to do something. He asked those present to imagine the everyday challenges of people with physical disabilities, and reinforced the need for an accessible playground for all.
The grand opening ceremony at Gallup Park (Photo: Meredith Bruckner)
A moving moment was when a wheelchair-bound mother of a 10-year-old tearfully expressed her gratitude for the opening of the Universal Access Playground, and recounted her difficult experiences as a child feeling alienated at playgrounds.
Guest speakers pose with the mayor following the ribbon cutting ceremony (Photo: Meredith Bruckner)
More about the playground
A conversation with Hillary Hanzel, one of the heads of the project, and park planner and landscape architect for Ann Arbor's Parks & Recreation Services:
How long has the park been in the making?
Discussions with the Rotary about the park started in the fall of 2013, so 4 years.
How did it come to be?
The Rotary Club of Ann Arbor was looking for a bricks and mortar project to commemorate their 100 years of service. Staff suggested the idea of a Universal Access Playground and it became the project that Rotary chose to move ahead with.
What special features will the playground have?
The playground is designed around a fairy theme and includes play areas based on nature environments found in southeast Michigan: Woodland, river and prairie.
- The woodland area is designed for children age two to five and includes two main play elements: a custom Mushroom House and an “OmniSpin Spinner.” An updated version of the traditional merry-go-round, the OmniSpin Spinner is designed so that children using wheeled mobility devices can transfer or be transferred out of their devices and enjoy the rotation that come from a merry-go-round experience.
A custom Mushroom House in the woodland area of the playground (Photo: Meredith Bruckner)
- The river area includes some changes of elevation that create some unique play opportunities. The first play element that they will encounter is the Sway Fun. This Sway Fun has been customized to look like a Fairy Boat that children can use to travel into the pretend River Region of the park. The placement of the table in this element is a key component of its design, this creates an opportunity for children using wheelchairs to actively participate in creating movement of the Sway Fun. There is plenty of room for all children to play together and go for a ride.
- Next, a ramp allows children using wheeled mobility devices with a way to access the river play structure. They can then leave their wheelchair behind and transfer up the stairs into the play structure. Everything on this structure has a custom fairy theme providing children with a great fairy house to play in.
A ramp allows access for wheeled mobility devices in the river region (Photo: Meredith Bruckner)
- To get back up into the house children have a variety of climbers that they can use. These include Rickety Climber and Custom Canyon Climber which provides children with a challenging climb while also providing a nice den space under the fairy house where children and hide from others during play.
- This area also includes custom animal sculptures of a turtle and wolverine!
- The prairie region’s main element is the tree like structure with a bird’s nest on top. The tree can be accessed via the ramp coming from the sidewalk this ensures that those who use wheeled mobility devices are able to enter the tree.
- This area also includes the Oodle Swing and the We-Saw which are covered with a unique shade structure to keep all cool. The Oodle Swing is designed to encourage social play while swinging. A child can easily transfer from a mobility device into the Oodle Swing and its shape allows children to sit or lay together in different ways while providing support. The Oodle Swing’s larger size allows adults and children to swing together. Cooperative play is needed to make the swing go, encouraging children of all abilities to play together.
The Oodle Swing in the prairie region of the playground (Photo: Meredith Bruckner)
- For those children who want to get away and scout out what is happening in the woodlands they can hang out at the Cozy Dome. The Cozy Dome is a special climber that can also be used as a get-away place for children who want a break from all the sights and sounds of the playground. If this is the case, children can choose to hide out in the Cozy Dome to get away from all the activity
Lastly, there are also large numbers of mature trees are located in around this playground. These will provide a place within and around the playground to get out of the heat and direct sunshine.
Why Gallup Park as the location?
It's the most popular park in town – high visibility for both residents and visitors.
Any plans to have more playgrounds like this around Ann Arbor in the future? Were there any parks like this before?
None for a playground of this size, scope, and cost – this one is unique! As we make improvements to other Ann Arbor Park playgrounds the principle of universal accessibility is certainly considered and a goal we strive for.
The grounds of the park are accessible by flat, winding sidewalks (Photo: Meredith Bruckner)
The project cost $1.1 million. Half of those funds were donated by members of the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor. Additional funding came from a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant, and the city's Park Maintenance and Capital Improvements Millage.
The city consulted the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living over the design of the playground to ensure that it would be safe and inclusive.
To learn more about the playground, click here.