A groundbreaking for all at Wabun
Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board sent this bulletin at 07/24/2013 06:20 PM CDTJuly 24, 2013
Community members gather for groundbreaking—
New Universal Access Play Area at Minnehaha Falls
An enthusiastic and emotional crowd gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking for the new universal access play area at Wabun Picnic Area in Minnehaha Falls Regional Park on Wednesday, July 24. The event was hosted by the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB), People for Parks, and Falls 4 All to commemorate the beginning of construction of the much anticipated play area for children and adults with and without disabilities.
MPRB Commissioner Carol Kummer, along with Falls 4 All Committee Chair Peggy Halvorson, addressed the excited group of park visitors, members of the Minnehaha neighborhood and local youth as well as members of foundations and donors who provided funding for the new play area’s enhanced accessibility features.
“Wabun is the first universally accessible play area in our Minneapolis Park system,” said Commissioner Kummer. “It is designed to accommodate both children and adults, with and without disabilities, and to challenge them to explore, interact and play with independence and dignity.”
To be “universally accessible,” a play area must have at least 70% of its play features designed to be fully accessible, far more than required by the American Disabilities Act (ADA). While all new playgrounds planned in the Minneapolis park system meet the requirements of the ADA, playgrounds with ‘universal access’ include many more opportunities for play, including multiple ramps, more accessible surfacing, and multiple paths to play within a structure, all of which foster interaction and allow everyone to be included.
“With all of these special features, universal access playgrounds are far more expensive to build than those meeting the minimum ADA requirements,” commented Kummer. “Without the generosity and commitment from all the volunteers and donors, this level of accessibility would not have been possible. We want to thank donors at all levels and Falls 4 All for their support.”
“Falls 4 All raised approximately $450,000 to fund this universal access playground,” says committee chair Peggy Halvorson. “All funds raised by Falls 4 All were used to increase the playground’s accessibility above ADA standards.” The Falls 4 All volunteer group is a committee of People for Parks. The committee was recognized by MPRB for outstanding volunteer work in 2012 at the May 1 Board of Commissioners meeting. MPRB Volunteer of the Year Awards recognize the invaluable contributions made by individuals and volunteer groups.
Major funding for this exciting new play area was also provided by the Hennepin County Youth Sports Program, and the Paul Adelman Children with Disabilities Endowment Fund. Other major sponsor donations came from the Craig H Neilsen Foundation, People for Parks, the Carolyn Foundation, and the Innovating Worthy Projects Foundation.
Other donors include: Tom Braun and Felicity Britton, Steve and Noreen Linney, Peggy and Jay Halvorson, Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, C. H. Robinson Worldwide Foundation, Wild Rumpus Books for Young Readers, the Minneapolis Foundation, Jeff Winter Memorial, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, the Longfellow Community Council, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation, and the Nash Foundation.
The current Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) capital improvement program includes funding in the amount of $600,000 for the renovation of the two family play areas in Minnehaha Park in 2012-13. Both of these parks’ funding comes from the Parks and Trails Fund of the Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment, approved by voters in 2008.
The Wabun play area’s design reflects its historic Auto Tourist Camp heritage which was once located at the site. The play area’s grand opening will be celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony slated for Spring 2014.
The second play area, near the band shell and Sea Salt Eatery in the North Plateau Area is a remnant from the 1930s Works Progress Administration (WPA) era; the approach for this area will be to preserve the historic nature of the playground and sensitively add new equipment to increase the play activities.
For background information and to view the approved improvement plan, please visit the project page at
www.minneapolisparks.org/currentprojects or call 612-230-6466. Sign up to receive email updates on this and other MPRB projects.
To see more event photos visit the Minnehaha Facebook page.
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CONTACT: |
Questions from the public: Andrea Weber, Project Manager, Planning Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board 612-230-6466
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