Community Passion Makes Playground Wish a Reality in Waconia

MRPA NORTH START PARTNER FEATURE

Community passion makes playground wish a reality in Waconia

By Katie Swanson, Landscape Structures

In early 2017, the City of Waconia received a $5,000 donation from a Quinn Larson (above in red shirt), a child in the community who chose to donate his make-a-wish to the City for an inclusive playground. The City considered their options, one of which included adding stainless steel slides to an existing playground so that Quinn could use the slides without them interacting with his cochlear implant. However, the passion and interest in a fully inclusive playground, and providing a space for people of all abilities grew. With that interest, the City looked at Waterford Park, a smaller neighborhood park. This existing park offered an opportunity to expand into a larger community park and with more space, the City saw the chance to create a destination-type inclusive playground. Community members were on board, and donations began rolling in to create a truly inclusive play space for children of all abilities.

Creating a playground design task force

In late 2018, a Playground Design Task Force was created by the City Council to assist with the design process of the inclusive playground. The City took applications and received an overwhelming number of people who wanted to be involved. “By the end of the interviews, we had 21 members dedicated to the Playground Design Task Force,” explained Jackie Schulze, assistant city administrator for the City of Waconia. “The Task Force consisted of occupational therapists, physical therapists, special education teachers, parents, children and grandparents from the community.”

COMMUNITY MEMBERS WERE ON BOARD, AND DONATIONS BEGAN ROLLING IN TO CREATE A TRULY INCLUSIVE PLAY SPACE FOR CHILDREN OF ALL ABILITIES.

To kick off the design process, Flagship Recreation, the local Landscape Structures playground consultant, met with the group and shared a presentation around what inclusion means—that true inclusion welcomes children of all abilities as well as their families. “The presentation really hit home with the Task Force,” said Schulze. “They all had a better understanding that this playground wasn’t just for kids using wheelchairs, but would accommodate older caregivers, kids with autism and kids of all abilities.”

Working together to meet goals

The inclusive playground project had support from the community from the beginning. Businesses as well as individuals had begun making donations—in-kind and monetary—almost immediately. Shortly after Quinn’s donation, the City Council agreed to formally accept donations for the program. In addition, at the culmination of the design task force, a group of participants decided to get together and formed a community fundraising committee. The fundraising committee organized an annual golf event, which raised a large portion of funds for the playground. Additionally, they partnered with the Special Olympics to host the Polar Plunge in Waconia with a portion of funds raised supporting the inclusive playground project. In total, the City and fundraising committee were able to secure more than $300,000. “The commitment of the City and fundraising work of the community added to a $250,000 grant received from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) really made this project come together,” explained Shane Fineran, city manager for Waconia. “In addition to the funds raised and the grant received, a portion of the funds also came from the American Rescue Plan funds.”

A welcoming play space for all

Representatives from Flagship Recreation met with the Task Force several times to really fi ne-tune the inclusive playground design. The result is a truly inclusive play experience that welcomes individuals of all ages and abilities. “It’s not just one inclusive element,” said Schulze. “This playground design took into account not just the abilities of those in our community, but future residents and beyond, and created a welcoming space.” The inclusive playground at Waterford Park features the Super Netplex®, an inclusive tower playstructure. The center spiral belting provides an easy way to transfer and creates an accessible route to climb to the top so everyone can enjoy the spectacular view from the towers. Additionally, a double-wide ramped PlayBooster® playstructure delivers more climbers, slides and activity panels for kids of all abilities. Freestanding play components were also included in the playground design to provide a variety of play experiences for children and families. A Double ZipKrooz® , Oodle® Swing plus more playground swings are available for the thrill seekers, while the Cozy Dome® was included for kids who may need a break from the activity of the playground. Best of all, kids of all abilities will stay engaged with their peers as they participate in the fun of the Sway Fun® glider, We-Go-Round® , We-saw™, Rhapsody® Outdoor Musical Instruments and more.

Attracting visitors near and far

On Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, the playground at Waterford Park opened to a crowd of hundreds of people. And since its opening, Waconia children and families have been taking advantage of the new community playground, testing out all of the new and inclusive features. “Quinn was all smiles at the opening,” said Schulze. “He and his family were so excited to see it all come together.” The wide variety of inclusive activities available in the playground design is already drawing people from the county and further west. Plus, the new destination playground is bringing tours of nearby park boards as they’re interested in creating something similar in their community.