Why kids who struggle at area playgrounds may soon see changes

While some kids are running around the playground at Easterseals Child Development Center in State College, others are stuck watching from the sidelines. The mulch surface makes it difficult and dangerous for kids who need support equipment like walkers or wheelchairs to enjoy the play space.

That didn't sit well with Cristen Russell, so in April she decided to launch a fundraising campaign to "pave the way so all can play." Russell, whose daughter Olivia, 4, attends the day care, is spearheading efforts to revamp the center's outdoor space with a rubber surface so that all kids can play and move around safely, no matter their ability.

Easterseals, which offers "quality child care for children of all abilities," accepts kids 6 weeks old to 5 years old and currently has 73 students enrolled, with about 40 percent who have some type of special need, whether it's developmental, cognitive or physical, Director Jessica Confer said.

It has been at its current location on Rolling Ridge Drive for about 12 years, but a lack of funding has made it difficult to address the accessibility of the playground, Confer said. Over the years, she said they've made improvements bit by bit but this resurfacing project is a big undertaking.

Wilson Excavating in Port Matilda is donating its machines, labor and time to do the prep work so the 3,000-square-foot playground can be resurfaced with rubber, which will cost about $45,000. So far, the campaign has raised $15,000.

Russell and Confer have searched for grants to help fund the project, but all of them specify that they can only be used toward playground equipment, not resurfacing. So, the project is relying on donations.

"The community support that’s been trickling in has been phenomenal," Confer said.

The goal is to have the rubber surface completed by the end of the summer. Those who would like to donate can visit the Easterseals website.

Russell said they are planning an outdoor concert for sometime in late June or July with all proceeds going toward the playground project. Details will be available in the coming weeks, she said.

The Centre Region is "short" on accessible parks and playgrounds, Centre Region Parks and Recreation Director Pam Salokangas said. But that will change once the all-inclusive and universally-accessible playground planned for the Whitehall Road Regional Park opens.

Whitehall Road Regional Park, which has been in the works for about a decade, is expected to break ground in spring 2019, Salokangas said.

Other local playgrounds feature adaptable equipment, like the Liberty Swing in Bellefonte's Governors Park, but she said this will be the first "fully-accessible" playground in the area.

"It would be one of a kind — there’s nothing like that in the region," she said.

The equipment that's planned for the about 33,000-square-foot playground includes a wheelchair accessible merry-go-round imported from Europe and a wheelchair swing. They're also considering a two-person swing that would allow a parent to swing along with a child who may need some upright assistance and a mechanical "zip" that's hooked to a chair and transports the rider to the other end of the piece of equipment.

The play area will have plenty of ramps and will likely feature a short synthetic grass to allow for easy mobility.

"It is really for a full family to come out and play together, no matter the ability, and that’s what we love about it," Salokangas said.

The playground project is slated to cost about $750,000 to complete, she said. About $300,000 is included in the current park budget ($4.8 million for phase one). The rest of the playground will be funded by various grants and donations. If CRPR receives more funding than it currently needs, Salonkangas said it will go toward even more inclusive equipment.

All of Whitehall Road Regional Park will be ADA-compliant, she said. Sidewalks will provide access to the sports fields, plenty of handicap parking spaces will be located throughout the park and a 12,000-square-foot linear trail will also be fully accessible.

This story was originally published June 7, 2018 at 11:58 AM with the headline "Why kids who struggle at area playgrounds may soon see changes."