Planning a Community Splash Pad: Goals and Development

Welcome back to the second installment of our educational series on how to create a community splash pad! The last post focused on items to be accomplished in the pre-planning stage. This week we will be focusing on the goals of the splash pad and its development.

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Goals

By creating a list of goals, planners and decision makers can refer to the objectives they set in the beginning to re-evaluate their choices to ensure they meet the goals they originally set out with. The goal of a Master Plan is to provide community residents exceptional open space, park land, facilities and programs to splash pad users.

The following goals and objectives are intended to provide an operational framework for future decisions related to provision of parks and recreation.

  • Create a Sense of Community and Belonging
  • Offer programming that is targeted to families and those residents without support services.
  • Celebrate the community through participation in festivals, community functions and events.
  • Support and encourage new developments to include areas for active and passive recreation.
  • Provide parks and recreation facilities that are of the highest quality, that preserve open space and history, are well maintained and that are accessible to all residents of the community.
  • To create a community of healthy residents by providing opportunities that promote and encourage active lifestyles.
  • Provide recreation programming and facility opportunities that meet the needs and interests of the entire community.
  • To use existing community resources efficiently and to demonstrate fiscal responsibility.
  • To build a city-wide system of parks connected by trails and greenways to provide both active and passive recreation opportunities.
  • To enhance the landscape character and aesthetics of parks to heighten the experience of the spray park user.
  • To increase the accessory services and facilities available to the park system use in the way of adequate restrooms, water fountains, concessions, shades areas, playgrounds, and other accessory services or facilities.

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Development

  • Clearly define the goals of the project (i.e. public health, revenue generation, community asset, etc.) and frame public discussions, budget numbers and designs in terms of stated goals.
  • Design the splash pad so that capacity aligns with projected use and revenue goals. Don’t cap users at a much lower number than the official capacity of their splash pad for safety.
  • Ensure access issues such as parking are considered early in the design process.
  • Plan for expansion and new features (i.e. install more ground sprays than will initially be used and buy water features that can be replaced or exchanged).
  • Explore opportunities to develop splash pads near other public amenities such as parks, pools, picnic areas and community centers.
  • Ensure adequate seating in shaded areas for adults supervising splash pad users.
  • Install mechanical and electrical equipment on concrete surfaces and insulated from dust and dirt.

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Important considerations during the planning process:

1.Physical Location

  • Within Community
  • Within Park or Recreation District
  • Proximity to similar neighboring facilities

2. Location and Availability of Parking

  • Is there sufficient parking?
  • Is there van or bus parking?
  • Is the parking shared with other activities?

3. Location and Availability of Restrooms and Concessions

  • Are restrooms included?
  • Are changing areas included?

4. Existing Utility Services (Water, Sanitary, Storm and Electrical)

  • Are existing utilities on site or nearby?

5. Nearby Amenities and Facilities (Playground, Athletic Fields, Mini Golf, Courts, etc.)

  • Are there nearby facilities that will complement the sprayground? Or negatively impact the sprayground?

6. Neighborhood Connectivity, Bicycle Routes

  • Connectivity to nearby regional bicycle or multi-use trail systems.

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To learn more about Aquatix splash pad and water play products, visit their website.

The Value of Inclusive Sensory Play

A well-rounded playground is not complete without the addition of sensory play elements. Sensory play adds valuable play experiences to a playground through beneficial opportunities for learning and socializing. Proper sensory play can help children develop problem solving skills, express emotion, promote empathy, and instills lasting confidence. Not all sensory play is created equally- playground planners should ensure that their sensory play equipment is inclusive to children of all abilities, both physical and mental.

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Many children living with sensory processing disorders or autism may find socializing, communication, and imaginative play challenging without the proper support. Through sensory play, these children can feel included to explore and discover new experiences without fear or exclusion.

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Landscape Structures Inc. offers a variety of sensory play equipment for every project:

Sensory Play Center

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Pulse

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Rhapsody® Outdoor Musical Instruments

Vibra™ Chimes

Fossil Digs

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And much more!

Visit playlsi.com to learn more about planning your playground project.

The Power of Play

We believe in the power of play and what it means to us, regardless of age or ability.

“Play never said be careful, you’re not strong enough, you’re not big enough you’re not brave enough.”

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Play isn’t a simple idea that can be packaged neatly, succinctly.

“Play doesn’t care what a body can or cannot do.”

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Play doesn’t just teach us one thing- it teaches us everything. It shapes who we are and who we become. Play itself is a powerful part of everyone, which is why a playground should be for everyone.

“…play lives inside us.”

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Play is limitless, and we too are also limitless.

Play invites us to grab a hold of the rope and take a leap of faith into the world because play is everything.

To learn more about the infinite power of play, visit us at playlsi.com and watch our video here.

National Playground Safety Week 2019

It’s National Playground Safety Week, and there’s no better time to read up on some of the most important aspects of playground safety: audits and maintenance! Understanding the difference and the components of the two can help you create a safe, up to date play space for all ages and abilities!

Safety Audit

Check us out on playlsi.com to read more about staying safe on the playground!

 

Case Study: Honoring Paco Sanchez Through Play

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Case Study: Honoring Paco Sanchez Through Play

 

Client:  Denver Parks and Recreation

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Goal: Engage with citizens to find the right design to honor the community and local heroes while revitalizing the underutilized space into an  eye-catching destination to be used for years to come.

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Solution: Community members, Denver parks and Recreation, and Landscape Structures Inc communicated and collaborated to come up with the design of Paco Sanchez park featuring a custom microphone component to pay homage to local DJ Paco Sanchez while promoting health and wellness within the community through play. An elevated bridge to the tower allows children and adults of all abilities to experience structure. This created a park environment where locals and people outside the area would be drawn to its unique design and functionality. The success of the park has become an example for other areas to take note of for how to keep communities active.

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Click to read the full story of Paco Sanchez Park

Case Study: Play Reimagined

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Client: City of Denver Parks and Recreation Department

Landscape Architect: Dig Studio, Denver, Colo.

Goal: Get children and families outdoors and encourage life-long active and healthy lifestyles in a revitalized park environment.

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Solution: The giant 1950’s microphone-inspired tower heralds the horizon, but the built-in play value is what really makes this park honoring local radio DJ Paco Sanchez truly extraordinary. Brilliant colors and bold presence aside, it’s the imaginative use of the musical references that do the hard work of delivering dynamic play. Notes and scales offer footholds. Sound waves create netted climbing adventures. Chimes travel with kids as they run across the bridge.

Read more about how the City of Denver Parks and Recreation Department engaged the community and its culture through the transformation of Paco Sanchez Park.

Continuous education from Landscape Structures and Aquatix

Are you beginning to plan your continuing education for 2019? We can help! We are an authorized provider of continuing education credits from the International Association for Continuous Education and Training (IACET) and the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System™ (LA CES). That means we can help keep your parks and recreation department and landscape architects up-to-date on their requirements.

Even better, we have a team of expert speakers that are available to present on valuable playground and aquatics information during a local conference, in your office or during a customer visit to our headquarters in Minnesota. From inclusive play and spray play to designing safe splash play and fitness-focused environments to evidence-based landscape and playground design, there are sessions that will meet a wide variety of needs.

Learn more about playground-related CEUs, and check out the new aqua play sessions available from Aquatix.

Create word-of-mouth legendary playgrounds

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Today, more and more communities are using unique design to create a signature playground. Smart design that combines eye-catching aesthetics with built-in play value. Custom design that can be as simple or as detailed as you like.

Discover how custom can put your playground on the map. Request a copy of our 2019 PLAY Book, or browse the virtual publication.

From fully themed wonderlands to palettes that span oceans and deserts and everything in between, see a few of the signature playground designs from our 2019 PLAY Book in action below.

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Learning, celebrating and connecting in Philadelphia

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Last weekend, we were in Philadelphia for the American Society of Landscape Architects’ Annual Meeting and Expo. First thing on Saturday morning, President Pat Faust introduced the speakers of the Opening General Session, Susan Stamberg and Laurie Olin. Following, we welcomed visitors to our booth space, which featured the Alpha® Tower and Friendship® Swing.

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On Saturday night, we hosted an event for customers at NOTO. It was great connecting with all of the landscape architects, hearing about their amazing visions and sharing how, together, we can create word-of-mouth legendary play spaces. We’re already looking forward to next year in San Diego.

Case Study: Shaping sky-high visions into just-right solutions

Cloud-themed playground structure in Bicentennial Park

Client: The City of Hawthorne, From Lot to Spot and the Trust for Public Land

Designers: SWA and Jonah Scholen, Landscape Structures custom playground designer

Goal: Convert an unused concrete space into a community-designed green space including playgrounds for children and recreation activities for all ages

Hillside climbers and slide in Bicentennial Park

Solution: The City of Hawthorne collaborated with SWA, their local playground consultant, RecWest Outdoor Products, and Jonah to create an aviation-themed playground design. The PlayBooster® and Netplex® playstructures encourage kids ages 5 to 12 to climb higher and higher until they reach the clouds, while 2- to 5-year-olds explore the twin-prop plane-themed playstructure.

Twin-prop airplane-themed playground in Bicentennial Park

Get more details about how the playground at Bicentennial Park encourages kids of all ages to go sky-high.