Inclusive Playground

PROJECT: Inclusive Playground at Tierra Rejada Park

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Moorpark City Council has had a goal for a number of years of providing the community with an Inclusive Playground that would provide recreation features and design elements that appeal to individuals of all abilities, including those with mobility, cognitive, developmental, sight and hearing impairments. The vision is for a fun, safe and engaging community space that is developmentally appropriate for all children and offers play opportunities for a wide variety of needs and interests.

Community input helped select a “whimsical” theme for the park. This will be expressed as a fun twist on nature integrated into various playground elements. The project also includes modifications to the parking lot on Mountain Trail Street to increase the number of accessible parking stalls.

PUBLIC INPUT

Outreach Activities

The City began outreach to collect public input on this project in 2019. City staff collaborated with playground, landscape and civil engineers to develop the concept for the Inclusive Playground. Public forum and on-site stakeholder meetings were held in December of 2019 to gather public input on the project design. An online survey was also released to collect public preferences regarding the Inclusive Playground’s theme and features. Based on the results of the public input process, the following elements were identified to guide the design process:

THEME:	“Whimsical” Freeform & dynamic shapes, vibrant colors, nature elements.
COMPONENTS:	Elements that incorporate movement and varying elevations. Spinners, slides, swings, crawlers and tubes
AMENITIES:	Tactile wall Shade elements Alternate seating Drinking fountain

Inclusive Playground Naming Contest: During the winter of 2022/23 the community participated in a naming contest to select a unique name for the inclusive playground. After the votes were counted, City Council confirmed the winning name of "Enchanted Playground".Coming soon, the Enchanted Playground at Tierra Rejada Park!

PLAYGROUND DESIGN

Playground features include a custom sensory wall, accessible play structures for children ages 2-5 and 5-12, wheelchair compatible glider and merry-go-round elements, an inclusive swing structure, as well as a variety of rockers, spinners and climbers to create a fun, engaging space for children of all ages and abilities.

Inclusive Playground Site Plan

Courtesy Architerra Design Group

Playground Equipment Design Renderings

Images courtesy Landscape Structures.

Sensory Wall Preliminary Design

Images Courtesy Landscape Structures

GRANT FUNDING

A major hurdle for the inclusive playground project is funding. Inclusive playgrounds can cost from $750,000 to many millions of dollars. To help defray the cost, in 2020 the City applied for a grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The LWCF grant funds can be used for renovations or additions to existing parks, including construction of playgrounds. For this project, the City applied for funding to convert the existing playground area at Tierra Rejada Park into an Inclusive Playground.

In March 2022, the City was notified that the LWCF grant application had been approved by the National Park Service in the amount of $775,750. In addition, through the Proposition 68 Bond Fund approved by California voters in 2018, the City was eligible to receive a Per Capita Grant in the amount of $200,578. In total the City has received $976,328 in grant funds for the project.