City officially opens new all-inclusive playground
Playground for children with disabilities only one of its kind in Mid-South
By DONALD WILBURN
donaldfwilburn@gmail.com
Last week, the City of West Memphis celebrated the grand opening of a groundbreaking new playground speci_cally designed for children with disabilities. The playground, located in at Hick’s Park adjacent to the old library which is now the Parks and Recreation Department, is the _rst designated inclusive playground in the Mid-South region, providing a safe and accessible space for children of all abilities to play and have fun.
The idea for the inclusive playground was _rst introduced three years ago by the youth in the city’s summer job program. On Wednesday afternoon, city of_cials, including West Memphis Mayor Marco McClendon, came together with representatives from the West Memphis Parks and Recreation department to of_cially unveil the new addition to the community.
“I’m glad to see it.” said local resident Vernon Max, “I
See PLAYGROUND, page A2
The all-inclusive playground for children with disabilities will improve the lives of many kids and their families all across Crittenden County. The new playground is colorful, safe and most importantly, accessible to all.
Photos by City of WM PLAYGROUND
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usually take my son, who has autism, to the school playgrounds, but lately they have been fencing them all off like they don’t want us to use them. That kinda pisses me off since our taxes, some high taxes, pay for those.”
With a price tag of approximately $850,000, the inclusive playground was made possible through a combination of funds from the City of West Memphis, state grants, private donations, and a grant from the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. The city invested about $200,000 in existing park department funds, with the remaining funds used for site renovations, improved lighting, safety fencing, and upgrades to the existing pavilion.
The Playground includes not just handicapped accessible equipment, but also multi-sensory and socialization features for children with autism, sight or hearing impairment, and children with intellectual disabilities such as down syndrome, explained former Community Development Specialist Raymond Whiteside previously. “We’re kind of ahead of the game. We’ve already performed some community outreach and have partnered with Steudlein Learning Center and Project Neuro out of the [West Memphis] Methodist Church, both of which are local groups who work with disabled youth. They helped us go through the catalog and pick out structures and equipment to use,” Whiteside said. “We also had a site visit with the Arkansas Department of Parks on May 8, and they seem really excited about the idea. There’s nothing else like it in the area.”
Mayor McClendon, who has a personal connection to the importance of inclusive play, expressed his enthusiasm for the project upon its’ groundbreaking ceremony just one year ago, stating, “This project is something that is near and dear to my heart. We have a lot of kids here in West Memphis and Crittenden County with needs that our current playground infrastructure just can’t meet. But, we’re going to _x that really soon!”
The playground will be open to the public until dark, with parents encouraged to stay with their children to ensure a safe and enjoyable play experience.
