By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Plans have been revealed for the new inclusive playground that will accommodate children of all abilities in Bowling Green’s Carter Park.
The new Wood County Plays creation will have a swing made for children who use wheelchairs, a hollowed out “log” to be scooted through, ramped towers to be climbed, a roller slide to be propelled down, and so much more.
Ryan Wichman, a meteorologist with Channel 11 News in Toledo, and others with the Wood County Plays organization are working to make sure there are more playgrounds where all children can play together. After building the first such playground in Perrysburg, the organization is now planning its next one at Carter Park in Bowling Green.
The inclusive playground is designed for all children, of all abilities.
“This is not a handicapped park. This is not a special needs park. This is a park,” he said. One of the challenges is to make the playground safe, fun, and a little risky all at the same time.
But it comes with quite a price tag.
The 14,000-square-foot playground in Perrysburg that opened last summer cost about $800,000 to build. The Bowling Green park will be smaller, and is estimated to cost about $600,000. That amount will pay for the fencing, poured rubber surface, concrete and the playground equipment.
“So far we’ve raised just over $300,000,” Wichman said on Friday.
The inclusive playground project has also received grants from the City of Bowling Green American Rescue Plan funds, the Wood County Park District, and the Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
Another grant is being sought from the Ohio EPA to provide for the poured rubber surfacing made from tires.
Now it’s the community’s chance to help raise funds for the Wood County Plays site. A couple fundraisers are planned for April 23 at Carter Park.
A “rubber duck drop” is planned in the park – with people having the opportunity to try their luck by buying rubber ducks for $5 each, or for a discounted price for those buying a dozen or 25.
The numbered ducks will be placed in a giant blue tarp, Wichman said, and lifted in the air by the Bowling Green Fire Division’s ladder truck. They will then be dropped onto a massive bullseye on the ground.
“I’d like to say it makes a splash, but it’s really more of a thud,” Wichman said.
The person with the number of the duck closest to the bullseye will receive the grand prize of $500.
The Wood County Plays organization hopes to raise more than $10,000 on the event.
Also on April 23, a 3K Relay Race is being planned by Bowling Green dentist Dr. Alexis Klassen in Carter Park to benefit the playground.
“Up to 100 teams would be fantastic,” Wichman said. “We’re hoping to make it a fun weekend.”
Details for both events and directions of how to purchase the rubber ducks can be found at wcplays.org.
“The community has been very supportive,” Wichman said of donations coming in from local churches and individuals. “That’s really encouraging.”
Wood County Plays members are hoping to have all the needed funds raised by the end of May or early June, so the playground can be built yet this year.
“We’re super excited to bring an inclusive playground to Bowling Green,” said Wichman, who is a 2005 graduate of Bowling Green High School.
Wichman and his wife first realized the need for inclusive playgrounds in 2018, when their son, then 2 ½ years old, found it impossible to traverse parks with mulch ground covering and stairs. Grant, who uses a walker, was frustrated that he needed his parents’ help to use equipment that other children could access on their own.
“We knew there had to be a better way,” Wichman said.
There will be no concrete surfaces, no mulch, no curbs and no holes. The surface is all poured rubber, which is “incredibly expensive,” Wichman said. Kids who use wheelchairs and walkers can reach the top levels of playground structures with their friends who don’t use equipment for walking.
The park will be surrounded by fencing, so children who have autism can play there safely.
As was done in Perrysburg, once completed, the park will be gifted to the city.
