September 15, 2017
T he C olumbia P ress
5
New Robinson Park playground to focus on accessibility
Left: A purple dino-
saur peeks out at
a green T-rex from
the wood chips in
the deconstructed
playground area.
Workers from North-
west Playground
begin setting up
new equipment
Sept. 18.
Below: Employ-
ees from Olson
Asphalt resurface
the park’s tennis
courts Wednesday
while fencing stands
ready for a new
walkway between
ballfields, at right.
Photos by Cindy Yingst
The Columbia Press
The play equipment at Rob-
inson Community Park was
showing its age.
During an inspection earli-
er this year, a Public Works
employee found it rusty in
places, steps had separat-
ed from the frame and some
parts were unsafe.
City Manager Linda Eng-
bretson remembers its in-
stallation as one of the first
events of her 22-year career
with the city.
Earlier this month, city
workers removed the old
equipment to make way for a
new playground, slated to go
in next week.
Once safety of the old equip-
ment was called into ques-
tion, the city approached the
Quincy & Bessie Robinson
Trust board of directors and
asked for funding assistance
for new play equipment.
The board agreed and the re-
placement project was born.
Once the city starting look-
ing at the options, it found as
many opinions as options.
Engbretson suggested tak-
Extraordinary Living subject of age 50-plus conference
The 4th Annual Conference
on Extraordinary Living for
those age 50 and better is set
for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday,
Sept. 16, at Clatsop Commu-
nity College.
College President Chris Bre-
itmeyer will give the keynote
address, followed by three
breakout sessions. Lunch is
provided by the Bandit Café.
A $10 donation is requested.
There will be three 45-min-
ute sessions covering every-
thing from medical mari-
juana for people and pets,
disaster preparedness, the
Ship Report, dancing for fit-
ness, finances, travel, North
Coast trails and making
friends.
Free flu shots also will be
available.
The conference is sponsored
by the college, ENCORE, Co-
lumbia Memorial Hospital,
Providence Seaside Hospital,
NW Senior/Disability Ser-
vices and FamilyCare Health.
To register, call 503-338-
2566.
ing the project to the users:
the community’s children.
Five options and ballots
were sent to the Warren-
ton-Hammond School Dis-
trict, which held a vote and
the kids chose the Northwest
Playground Equipment op-
tion.
In the past two decades,
there have been new re-
quirements for public play-
grounds, primarily the need
to make them accessible to
those with disabilities.
The $120,000 equipment,
which includes installation,
is made from a touch-friend-
ly wood fiber. Several play
pieces focus on children with
disabilities.
The hanging “cocoon” is
designed to provide a space
for children with autism.
It’s a quiet spot for them to
observe their surroundings
while providing some mo-
tion. It has openings for par-
ents to watch their kids.
There is a spinner, an up-
dated version of a merry-go-
round with seating for chil-
dren with mobility issues.
The seat is designed with a
slight inward slope for stabil-
ity and there is enough room
for a parent or caregiver to sit
with a child.
A swing seat and activity
items throughout the equip-
ment are designed for those
with mobility issues.
A ramp is being added to
the play area and access to
the equipment will be gained
through transfer stations set
at the proper height for chil-
dren with braces, using walk-
ers or in a wheelchair.
There will be handicapped
parking and a ramp from
the parking area is being re-
placed.
Resurfacing the entire play-
ground is estimated to be an
additional $100,000, so the
city decided to do the play-
ground project in phases,
applying for a grant in the fu-
ture to upgrade the surface to
a product such as a soft tile.
Information on the city’s
Facebook page contributed
to this report.