A new, inclusive playground is now complete at Moran Park in Holland
HOLLAND — The construction of a new inclusive playground at Moran Park in Holland is complete.
It’s a project city officials said was long overdue. The previous playground was built between two and three decades ago.
More: Holland hopes to make Moran Park playscape accessible for all
The new playground at 515 Maple Ave. offers adaptive features and inclusive play elements, including a wheelchair ramp for members of the community with limited mobility.
“We've been very deliberate about what we've been putting in playgrounds for the last few years,” Andy Kenyon, director of parks and recreation, said in a video announcing completion of the playground. “Lots of inclusive play elements that we don’t have anywhere else in our park system and it's a very exciting time.”
Funds for the update came from a Community Development Block Grant and the Municipal Capital Improvement Fund. In October, the city also authorized an application for a separate grant.
The new playground has technological features, including signs with QR codes so users of the playground can offer feedback on their experiences. The collected data is sent to the city and will impact future designs of other local playgrounds.
"It already is a destination park," Kenyon said in October. "But I think, with the Aquatic Center across the street ... there'll be an opportunity for families to come over and play in the middle of a meet and things like that."
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The project was completed with the help of a construction team and about 50 volunteers.
Moran Park was originally known as the 22nd Street Field. In addition to the playground, the park, as a whole, is getting a refresh, something members of the community have long wanted. Today, it features eight pickleball courts, a picnic shelter, seven tennis courts, shuffleboard courts and other amenities.
— Contact freelancer Austin Metz at ametz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: A new, inclusive playground is now complete at Moran Park in Holland
