Latest / Kendall County News - Shaw Local / Yorkville parks continue award-winning inclusiveness mission

Transcript

Yorkville parks continue award-winning inclusiveness mission · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Yorkville Park's continue Award winning inclusiveness mission. Written by Joey Weslow.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: This article is being read by an automated voice brought
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: to you by Everlett. Sunflower Park playground in Yorkville is
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: undergoing a massive rebuild, bringing some first in the city
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: inclusive play features designed to inspire children and break down barriers.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Currently a farm themed playground, Sunflower Park is located at
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: seventeen sixty five wallsh Drive. On site is a basketball court,
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: picnic area, shelter and green space play area only. The
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: playground is being overhauled. The park will join the likes
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: of Rotary Park, which recently earned park staff the twenty
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: twenty five Outstanding Park Award from the Illinois Park in
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: Recreation Association for its groundbreaking inclusive playground LEA Rotary Parks
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: design was said to champion fun, play and participation by
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: both children and adults with or without a disability, with
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: additional features for children sensitive to high stimulated environment. Following
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: in the mold of recent playground rebuilds, the city approved
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: a one hundred thousand, five hundred and seventy eight dollars
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: contract with Game Time playground Manufacture, including installation costs. The
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: new playground is totally one hundred and ten thousand dollars.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: Tim Evans, director of Parks and Recreation, said staff will
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: receive the new equipment this summer and install the new
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: playground this fall. Evans described the new equipment as supporting
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: whole child development, including physical, social, emotional, sensory, cognitive, and communication.
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: Sunflower Park is about twenty years old now it needs
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: to be replaced, Evans said during the March twenty fourth
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: City Console Meeting. It has new features that will make
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: it more inclusive for the community. All new to the city,
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: the park will feature a wheelchair accessible merry go round
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: called an Inclusive wheel. Another all new feature is a
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: roller slide, improving accessibility to the fun moving action equipment piece.
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: There will also be a ton of fun things to
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: climb on and play with, ranging from vertical and horizontal climbers,
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: a new slide, fun interactive panels, gizmo's, and some electronic
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: sensory gadgets. Away from the main playground will be a
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: fun standalone game panel and therapeutic rings. Superintendent of Parks
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: Scott Sleezer previously said that the focus on horizontal spaces
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: and multiple entryways to the play equipment is designed to
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: encourage children to interact and play with each other. Parents
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: and grandparents can also participate in the fund because the
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: design enables them to get up close to their children
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: while they are playing on the equipment. Our neighbors are
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: all of different abilities, and we want to make sure
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: that we're being inclusive to all of them, whether that
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: is somebody in a wheelchair or even adults who might
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: require greater accessibility. Sleezer previously said, we want to make
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: sure that we're providing the best space for allowing kids
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: and parents to play side by side. The dismantling of
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: the current Sunflower Park playground is continuing the legacy of
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: the City of Yorkville touching the lives of children in
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: the Caribbean through the nonprofit work of Kids around the World.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: The Rockford based nonprofit, which has been used on several
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: previous Yorkville playground tier downs, refurbishes the equipment and rebuilds
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: them in underprivileged cus entries around the world. After years
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: of bringing joy to children in Yorkville, Emily Sleeser Park's playground,
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: named after Scott Sleezer's late daughter, was refurbished and installed
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: in the Dominican Republic. Scott Sleezer was on hand to
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: help install the playground in the town of Cabrera, calling
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: the moment a very powerful transformative experience. Scott Sleezer said
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: by installing a new playground, the charity is providing something
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: more than just recreation for the town's kids. Besides just
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: the hope it brings to the kids who don't often
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: get the chance to experience play this way, it helps
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: them grow and developmentally. Because the playgrounds are specifically designed
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: to challenge the adolescents thinking skills and physical confidence. Sleezer
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: said this help brings hope to the whole community. He
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: said installing a playground also serves as a catalyst for
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: change because it encourages other businesses and government development in
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: an area that has been historically underfunded. Sleezer said by
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: donating the equipment, not only does it cut down on
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: waste by preventing the equipment from being scrapped into a landfill,
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: but it also saves the city money in dismantling the equipment.
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: He said, it also teaches members of our community to
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: think globally, not just locally. He said, by providing hope,
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: they helped make both our communities stronger.