The Round structure with overhead events (featured above) along with a 12-swing swing-set, were installed during the fall of 2006. The large structure will be installed in phases. The first part of the large structure, which features the first three 12-ft ramps and round platforms, will be installed in the fall of 2007 if enough money is raised.
The second phase of the large structure includes a 12 foot ramp and a ship, along with slides and climbing walls. The last phase includes another 12 foot ramp and a castle configuration along with 6 ft slides, opportunities for climbing and activities under the platform.
The Garfield playground committee has raised a total of $25,000 and the Corvallis School District has indicated that they will provide another $12,000 for equipment that was previously removed from the playground. We need a total of $50,000 to order the equipment for the first phase of the large structure along with the rubber tile that will be installed under the structure. We need an additional $4,000 for installation which includes hiring a certified playground installer, paying for rental equipment, concrete, and adhesive. The last two phases of the large structure cost a total of $33,000 each, but the cost will continue to increase due to yearly inflation.
An anonymous donor will match the first $2,000 donated for the playground by July 1, 2007. Equipment needs to be ordered in July in order for installation to occur next fall before the rain starts again.
About the Garfield playground
After school, on weekends and during summer months, the Garfield School playground serves as a neighborhood park for many children. It is located in a neighborhood with several children and close to several apartment buildings. It is adjacent to Garfield Park, close to Linus Pauling Middle School, Osborn Aquatic Center and the Boys and Girls Club. Due to its central location, many children who do not live in the Garfield neighborhood frequent the playground.
Four years ago, the Playground Committee at Garfield Elementary School was formed. Both parents and school personnel have been very concerned about the safety and lack of accessibility of the playground. The Garfield Community decided the previous playground did not meet the National Safety Council’s recommended safety standards and its replacement became a priority. After hearing from a parent of a child in a wheelchair, we soon realized that a fully accessible playground would best serve the needs of the school and the community.
The Playground Committee consulted with experts on the importance and design of ADA accessible play spaces. These experts include: Wayne Yarnell, the director of ADA Build It Right, Inc., Jeff McCubbin, co-director of IMPACT program at OSU, Maureen Ruzek, head of the school district Life Skills program, and numerous playground companies. We also spoke with a number of parents of physically challenged children, the teachers at Garfield, and community members. We undertook a study of accessible play opportunities in our area and found them sadly lacking. The goal of our project is simply to provide a safe environment for children of all backgrounds and abilities to come together and enjoy the benefits of active outdoor play.
The playground committee decided on NW Recreation of Portland due to the company’s experience with developing playgrounds that are wheelchair accessible. The equipment is manufactured by Kraus Craft Inc. of Grants Pass, Oregon. The playground plan includes a large ramped structure that is almost completely wheelchair accessible, one large swing set with twelve swings and a small structure with overhead events.
The plan also includes the installation of rubber tiles over most of the playground surface. The rubber tiles provide safe cushioning for falling children, are completely accessible to children in wheelchairs, and require little maintenance. Rubberized tiles have other advantages over loose fill surfaces such as wood chips. Loose fill surfaces may contain foreign matter that can harm children. Tile surfaces are free of these objects because there is no place for them to hide. In addition, the rubberized tile surface installed at Garfield is porous and is designed to drain water off the tile surface allowing the children of Garfield and the surrounding neighborhood to play year round. Also, as an added benefit to the environment, and the surface’s sustainability, the rubber tiles used on the playground are made from recycled tires.
Todd Perimon, a civil engineer currently employed by CH2MHill, donated his time and developed a site plan to repair the drainage issues on the playground. The Corvallis School District began drainage repairs in August 2006. Prior to the repair of the drainage, the Garfield playground became a muddy mess when it rained and at times had large amounts of standing water on it. Yellow caution tape became common during fall, winter and spring, leaving the playground inaccessible to all children for months out of the nine month school year much of the time.
In August 2006, following the District’s partial repair of the drainage, parents, grandparents and friends of the Garfield community installed phase I of the playground under the supervision and direction of a certified playground installer. To save on cost, engineered wood fiber was placed under 10 of the 12 swings. Volunteers installed rubber tiles in October 2006 following the completion of the drainage work for Phase I.
