Riverside Park
Iola, KS USA
Playground Overview
Five MOMs (Mothers of Miracles), one Kiwanis Club, and hundreds of generous local citizens helped make this inclusive playground a reality for Iola, Kansas. Kids ages 5 to 12 celebrate fun and new friendships on this PlayBooster® playstructure with events that engage children of all abilities, like the tactile Rollerslide, hypnotic Optigear Panel® and the communal Sway Fun® Glider. The many curves of the Sensory Play Center® offer sights, sounds and touch that widen eyes and bring smiles to so many. Side-by-side Stationary Cyclers, one accessible and one standard, further encourage new insights and new friends at this unique park.
Playground Details
Age Ranges
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- 5 to 12 years
Design Standards
- ASTM
Installed
- June 2014
Design/CAD Files
Project Price Range
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$20K-$39K
Pricing reflects only the equipment shown in the 3D render above. For international and exact pricing, please contact your local playground consultant.
- Contact Your Consultant
About Color
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Color is an important decision, and our playgrounds are available in many color options. Use our carefully curated palettes or work with our design team to create your own color combination. Contact your local playground consultant to learn more.
Featured Products
We offer the widest range of park and playground equipment to promote healthy lifestyles, encourage skill-building and create unique outdoor experiences. From our playsystems and freestanding playground components to themed designs, site furnishings and more, we’ll help you create a recreation space that welcomes your whole community.
Play Systems featured in this Playground
PlayBooster®
Ages 5 to 12 Years
The PlayBooster® playground structure, the original post-and-clamp system, combines exciting ground-level components with climbing events and overhead activities for kids ages 5 to 12. The PlayBooster family includes the interconnected cables of Netplex®, the contemporary Vibe®, the nature-inspired Tree House and the double-decker PlayOdyssey® Tower.
Resources
Product Categories featured in this Playground
Freestanding Play
Ages 2 to 12
Freestanding Play events add fun and excitement to new and existing playgrounds! Revitalize your current playground or create a playground design that’s completely unique using Freestanding Play components for kids ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12.
Resources
Shade
Landscape Structures' SkyWays® division based in Dallas, Texas, is dedicated to shade structures.
Choose from two types of shade products that provide cool and reliable shade for any play, rest and activity: SkyWays offer the largest break from the sun, and CoolToppers® connect to our PlayBooster® playstructures. Designed to block up to 97 percent of UV rays and keep playground temperatures up to 30 degrees cooler on the hottest of days.
Play Styles featured in this Playground
Inclusive Play
We believe all kids are created equal. That’s why we create play environments using inclusive playground equipment that welcome kids and families of all abilities to learn, play and grow together. Our playgrounds feature activities that are age and developmentally appropriate, sensory stimulating and universally designed.
Resources
Playground consultant for this project
We’ve created a global network of local playground experts to be at your side, every step of the way. With an average of 20 years of experience, our playground consultants are knowledgeable and personable. They will guide you through product pricing and specifications, customization, financing options, community builds, on-time deliveries, maintenance, finding replacement parts, and service questions.
ATHCO, L.L.C.
13500 W 108th St
Lenexa, KS 66215
USA
Toll Free 800-255-1102
Phone 913-469-5600
athco@athcollc.com
www.athcollc.com
Find a Playground Consultant Near You
Miracles at Work
Good People Make Dreams Come True
Five MOMs (Mothers of Miracles), one Kiwanis Club, and hundreds of generous local citizens pulled together to make this inclusive playground happen for the community of Iola and its surrounding counties.
Chance Meeting
“Our kids want to laugh and play just like every child,” says Lesley Skahan of MOMs, a local support group for parents of children with special needs. “And we need to help other people become comfortable with our children.”
A chance meeting with Mike Ford, local police officer and Kiwanis Club member, got this miracle rolling. He encouraged Lesley and the other MOMs to enter the international Make a Difference Through Play contest sponsored by Landscape Structures and Kiwanis International. Miracle of miracles, they won and were awarded $25,000 in playground equipment.
Super Sensory
Matt Cline of ATHCO LLC, Landscape Structures’ local playground consultant, was brought on board to help the MOMs develop their wish lists and coordinate the project. “The MOMs were fantastic—I wish I could plop them into every project,” says Matt. “They knew from the outset what they wanted. They had done their homework and were adamant that it become a destination playground for everyone’s kids.”
"For Mason, I selected the Sensory Play Center®. He loves things that spin and light up." MOMs (Mothers of Miracles)
Each of the MOMs picked out a play component based upon their child’s needs, including the Oodle® Swing and the Roller Table™. Physical therapists were consulted to help select other inclusive elements, like the Cozy Dome® and various sensory panels.
“I think we incorporated every sensory play event that Landscape Structures offers,”says Mike Ford.
Rounding Out Inclusivity
It was equally important to Lesley and the MOMs that enough exciting components were included for kids who are typically developing, too. “We wanted them to all be able to play together,” explains Lesley.
So the Riverside Park play area features a Summit Climber and a Cascade Climber, plus side-by-side Stationary Cyclers, one accessible and one standard. And since Kansas sun can be brutal, CoolToppers® shade systems were added to provide plenty of shade.
Working Miracles
While they initially doubted they could meet their goal of $150,000, they ultimately surpassed it—and in just seven months.
"Kiwanis bulldozed the fundraising process and got the community behind it." ATHCO LLC
“We’re in a town of 5,600 people in a part of Kansas that is fairly low income,” according to Mike Ford. “But the people who can give are VERY giving people.”
Finally, hundreds of volunteers turned out over two days for the community build. “It was a true community effort,” says Matt Cline. A true community of miracles.
