The All Ability Playground project through the Allen County Board of Developmental Disabilities and The Arc of Allen County has been in the works for a few years now, but is nearing its completion.
The first playground at Camp Robin Rogers in Spencerville has been open since last fall. Children and families from all over have been enjoying it this summer, especially at The Arc's day camp. The Arc of Allen County Executive Director, Brad Perrot, says people of all abilities and ages have been able to enjoy the project because of the new and unique equipment.
"Having the safety surface, they feel more secure when they're walking. They don't have to worry about falling because if they fall it's something soft," Perrot explains. "Plus, there's a lot of hands-on things. Rails where they can maneuver around easy, but there's just so many different things whether it's textures or sounds or motion. The kids have a lot of opportunities to play and have fun."
Construction is under way on the second playground at the Marimor School, and is hoped to be done in September. Fundraising for both locations has collected over $1.4 million so far. Achieving the final goal is expected to happen very soon.
"The third part of the project is restrooms out at Camp Robin Rogers which are very needed for the playground there," says Theresa Schnipke, Superintendent of the Allen County Board of Developmental Disabilities. "They were quoted a year ago, and as everyone knows construction costs have gone up significantly. We've also had a few change orders here related to things you can't see until you start tearing it up. But, we are very close and it feels very good to be that close after more than three years of raising funds for these playgrounds."
The entire project should be completed by the end of the year. To learn more about it or to donate, visit allabilityplayground.org.
