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Why a Yorkville playground earned a prestigious state award · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Why a Yorkville playground earned a prestigious state award Written
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  by Joey Weslow. This article is being read by an
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  automated voice brought to you by Everlett. A new playground
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  in Yorkville is now officially award winning. The Yorkville Parks
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  and Recreation Department was recognized by the Illinois Park and
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  Recreation Association for its installation of Rotary Park, a groundbreaking
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  inclusive playground. The park staff traveled to a conference to
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  accept the twenty twenty five Outstanding Park Award Division IE.
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  The award celebrates a new era for the city's parks,
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  namely the transformation to more inclusive playground equipment to better
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  accommodate the needs of the community. The award celebrates not
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  only the incredible work of our staff, but also our
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  successful grant partnership with game Time, helping us create a
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  playground where everyone can play, explore, and belong, the park
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  staff said in the post. The award winning playground is
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  located at Tuane Freding seventy five Grande Trail. Rotary Park
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  was the city's first ever inclusive playground. The design was
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  said to give children with or without a disability. The
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  same platform to play while breaking down barriers both physically
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  and socially. The park includes several ramps providing greater access
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  to the fun playground equipment that is designed in a
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  more horizontal way versus the traditional vertical playgrounds. Our neighbors
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  are all of different abilities, and we want to make
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  sure that we're being inclusive to all of them, whether
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  that is somebody in a wheelchair or even adults who
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  might require greater accessibility. Scott Sleezer, Superintendent of Parks, previously said,
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  we want to make sure that we're providing the best
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  space for allowing kids and parents to play side by side.
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  The focus on horizontal spaces and multiple entryways to the
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  play equipment is designed to encourage children to interact and
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  play with each other. Parents and grandparents can also participate
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  in the fund because the design enables them to get
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  up close to their children while they are playing on
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  the equipment. The park also features sensory play items and
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  musical components for children sensitive to high stimulated environments. To
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  accomplish the installation, the city partnered with Game Time, who
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  match the funds purchased by the city. This cut the
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  city's costs for the equipment in half. The total cost
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  for purchase and installation of the playground equipment was three
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  hundred and fifty three dollars and five hundred and sixty
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  six dollars, with the city responsible for one hundred and
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  seventy five four hundred eight dollars and the rest covered
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  by game time. The current twelve acre park also features
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  a zip line, a skateboarding area, pickleball courts, and a
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  baseball field.