Accessibility improvements planned
Amazon to be renovated for physically disabled
By Christopher Blair
Emerald Contributor
The Eugene Parks, Recreation
and Cultural Services (PRCS)
department is currently plann
ing a new specialized recreation
center for people with
disbilities — complete with a
playground for alter-abled
children — to be built next year
at Amazon Park,
Two federal grants totaling
$405,000 awarded in Aug 1987
have made possible the con
struction and planning of the
playground and a 5,800 square
foot facility, which will cater to
the recreational needs of the
disabled living in the Eugene
area.
"It could be made accessable,
but only at great cost," Cole
said.
The committee selected
Amazon Park after careful con
sultation with disabled groups
and the general public, Winston
said. Some of the reasons in
clude the park's easy ac
cessibility to bus stops, its prox
imity to area merchants, the
University, LCC, the Amazon
development division.
The playground will be
dominated by a central play
structure, which will be equip
ped with wheelchair ramps, tire
swings with leg straps and a
platform swing for severely
disabled children.
"We intend to accommodate
as many types of disabilities as
we can,” Kroeck said. "We’re
going to be careful to avoid
‘We’re excited in that a lot of disabled
folks are going to be able to involve
themsleves in a lot of different activities in
a lot of different ways. ’
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The current specialized
recreation center, located at
Washington Park is inac
cussable to most people with
disabilities, said developmental
disablitics program coordinator
Molly Cole.
The Eugene parks department
instead evaluated seven ex
isting sites owned by the city for
a new site, including Campbell
Senior Center, Lincoln School
and Westmoreland Park, using
criteria such as access to public
transportation and existing ac
cessability, said PRCS Special
Programs Director Mary
Winston.
pool, and the site’s expansive
area, Winston said.
One of the groups involved
with the selection process, the
Disablities Advisory Coalition,
was in favor of the site for these
reasons.
“We're excited in that a lot of
disabled folks are going to he
able to involve themsleves in a
lot of different activities in a lot
of different ways.” coaltion
spokesperson Tim Shearer said.
"It’s going to be close to the
swimming pool, close to the
other park facilities, and it’s
close to the running tracks for
‘We’re going to be careful to avoid
creating gaps or lips in the structure that
would trip anyone or impair a wheelchair’
— Louis Kroeck
"It's the oldest building cur
rently being used on h daily
basis by the city," Cole said, ad
ding that such drawbacks as
street parking and a lack of total
wheelchair accessnblility make
the location unsuitable as a
recreation center for the
disabled.
people who like to wheel."
The other new facility for the
disabled at Amazon will be the
"all child playground,” a play
structure designed for
‘‘integrated’’ use by both
disabled and non-disabled
children, said Louis Kroeck of
the parks planning and
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creating gaps or lips in the
structure that would trip
anyone or impair a
wheelchair."
Proposals from architects for
the recreation center will be ac
cepted in the fall, with a
groundbreaking ceremony ex
pected next spring. Construc
tion on the playground is ex
pected to begin within two
months.
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