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More communities than ever have been going beyond ADA standards to provide play that is truly inclusive. The city of Lawrenceburg, Ind., aims to promote healthy living and inclusive play through the installation of a premier playground at Arch Street Park. City officials hosted an opening rededication event at the playground on June 4, 2021.
Made possible and partially funded by a playground grant from GameTime of $190,403, with the City of Lawrenceburg committing an additional $550,026, the Arch Street Park Inclusive Playground project is a National Demonstration Site, integrating the seven principles of inclusive playground design to promote the power of inclusive play.
Beginning in 2020, the Arch Street Park Playground Committee, which consists of area residents and community members, set forth to examine existing playground conditions, address recreational concerns and improve accessibility for outdoor play environments for people of all ages and abilities. Led by Mayor Kelly Mollaun, members of the committee aimed to create a playground design that featured safe, fun and exceptional play experiences.
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"[The] project took a lot of time, with great input from our playground committee to finalize a design that could be utilized by different age groups for ultimate fun and healthy experiences," Mollaun said.
Newly added features at the playground include an ADA-accessible hybrid structure, swings, a see-saw, merry-go-round, synthetic turf and more. The park also features a covered picnic shelter with grills, a basketball court, swings and restrooms.
Jeff Branham, sales associate with Sinclair Recreation, the exclusive GameTime distributor in Indiana and Michigan, worked with the steering committee over the past year to help bring its project to fruition.
"It was great to develop options for their park based on feedback from the community," Branham said. "We worked with people and kids of all ages and abilities to create the playground that is going to be perfect for this community, and it's been such a blessings to be a part of a project that is going to affect so many people."
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