The city’s parks and playgrounds are not just a place for children to play, according to Mayor Eddie Moran.
They are community-building spaces that bring people of all ages and abilities together.
“When we talk about parks, we’re not just talking about some swings,” he said. “We’re talking about a neighborhood that comes together.”
The mayor’s remarks came Wednesday morning at the unveiling of the newly refurbished Sixth and Amity streets playground.
The $645,380 project involved much more than sprucing up the site, Moran said.
“We’ve gone above and beyond to make this a place that caters to every age group,” he said, noting the park has wheelchair-friendly features.
A children’s play area includes new swinging, spinning and sliding equipment, a xylophone-like instrument to play and more.
In the opposite corner, there is a workout area with fitness stations designed for those 13 and older. These features, too, are wheelchair accessible.
A green garden was added to the park, which includes a refurbished fieldhouse, softball field and basketball courts.
“Our dedication to Mother Nature shines brightly through the addition of the green garden,” the mayor said, “a symbol of sustainability and environmental responsibilities.”
Many of the improvements were made with accessibility in mind, he noted, including an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalk and equipment for all ages, designed for use by people of varying abilities.
“Everyone, regardless of their abilities, can join this wonderful space,” Moran said.
The Sixth and Amity project is one of six playground improvement projects begun last year.
The playgrounds in City Park and in the 700 block of Lance Place also have been completed, said David W. Anspach III, city capital project manager.
Projects at Reading Iron and Third and Spruce playgrounds, and Baer Park are underway.
The Baer Park project will include the addition of all-abilities equipment and a splash pad.
A new splash pad opened this year in City Park and water-play features were previously installed at the 11th and Pike and Front and Shiller streets playgrounds.
The playground renovations are part of the mayor’s initiative to refurbish parks and playgrounds throughout the city, Anspach said.
This year the city teamed with the Lonnie Walker IV foundation to refurbish the Baer Park basketball court.
Anspach said the recently completed projects and those underway are intended to build on last year’s swings and nets program. That project saw an investment of $750,000 to replace broken and outdated basketball backboards and nets and swings and slides in city playgrounds.
The Sixth and Amity project, the mayor said “has been nothing short of extraordinary and is a testament to what can be achieved when we come together.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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