The sun shone brightly Sunday afternoon as a number of area children of all abilities had the chance to run, swing, slide, play and laugh together at their new all-accessible playground located at Mary Rutan Park.
The pleasant autumn afternoon with the surrounding trees in bright hues of red, orange and yellow also provided a welcoming setting for a Bellefontaine Middle School eighth-grader to share with the large crowd gathered at the Come Play at the Peak playground grand opening how the whole project was started with an idea from him and his peers three years ago.
Jack Varner told the attendees that when he was a Bellefontaine Intermediate School fifth-grader, he became concerned for pupils with disabilities who were not able to play with their classmates on the playground at recess. As a result, he joined the Dare to Be Aware Club at his school that joins together typical students and students with disabilities to pursue various projects to better their school and community.
“It made me sad to see them left out,” the BMS student, who is a son of Luke and Sarah Varner. “My older brother is autistic and in the past, I had been upset that I wasn’t able to play with him on the playground as well.
“I told my principal, Mrs. (Krista) Adelsberger, and she put me in the Dare to Be Aware Club. We thought we’d raise money for a $5,000 swing, but with the help of the park board and the Logan County Board of Developmental Disabilities, here we are today with this new $300,000 playground.
“That is why I love Logan County.”
Tracy Gregg, one of the Dare to Be Aware Club advisers, recalled how students in the club joined together and presented their accessible playground ideas to the Bellefontaine Parks and Recreation District Board and the Logan County Board of Developmental Disabilities, and both organizations quickly got behind the idea and fundraising began.
Kris Myers, parks superintendent, said he remembers one of the presentations to the park board.
“One of the students said, ‘I want to see the smile on a kid’s face when they get to play on the playground and they haven’t been able to before.’ There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.”
In addition to Jack, other members of the Dare to Be Aware Club included Samantha Hall, Michelle Roberts, Tyler Bond, Aiden Kunze, Charles “Chuckie” Roberts, Mason Stanley, Garrett Prater, Elaina Ullom, Eleyna Williams, Olivia Turner, Emma Crabtree, Hailey Coyer, Chase Nelson, Hunter Kerns, Tahleyah Mundy, Lily Gillette and Anthony Puckett. They were recognized by LCBDD Superintendent Saul Bauer at the grand opening.
The new Come Play at the Peak playground replaces the former wooden and aging Kaleidoscope Playground. The new outdoor facility includes climbing structures, slides and bridges, along with a large canopy to shield youths from the elements. One of the unique elements is an AeroGlider, a giant glider that can accommodate a child in a wheelchair, along with additional children.
The safety surfacing of the playground is a turf surface with foam underneath that aligns with fall cushioning standards, Myers said.
Sheri Walbright, an occupational therapist for the Champaign and Madison Educational Service Center, was involved in helping to design the healthy play environment for the children. While she spoke to the attendees, she referenced all of the activity and excitement from the children going on in front of her on the new equipment.
“Look at these kids; it’s so amazing,” she said. “Some of the important aspects that this playground will offer includes meeting social and sensory needs that we all have. Playing has been depleted from our lives in some ways, and this is a developmental need that all children have.”
A number of project donors were recognized during the ceremony and largest donors who received plaques included: Honda Transmission Manufacturing, the United Way of Logan County, the Mary Rutan Foundation, Logan County Board of Developmental Disabilities and in-kind donations for the play space from Alexander Concrete and LeVan’s Excavating.