Avon Lake residents plan for the future of aging playground

AVON LAKE — Playgrounds were the talk of the town Thursday night in Avon Lake. The Avon Lake Play Space, ALPS, in Bleser Park was innovative when it was built in 1994, but now an evaluation of the structure found it is safe but in need of renewal. Avon Lake residents Brian Sabin and Emory Kopin are leading the effort to plan ALPS's next chapter with their Renew ALPS initiative. Sabin and Kopin held a meeting in the Avon Lake Public Library Thursday evening where they shared their ideas for renewal of the park and listened to community members' suggestions. Sabin and Kopin asked three key questions about the playground. The first was, "Could it be more than just kids?" They pointed to a rising trend in park design that incorporates adult and senior fitness equipment into playgrounds. This is designed to involve the whole family in the experience. The second question was, "Could it feel like nature?" Sabin presented a photo of a boulder wall at the Claridon Woodlands park in Geauga County as an example of playground equipment that incorporates natural elements. He said his daughter loves climbing there, and adding natural elements to the renewed ALPS would feel like a return to the more wooded Avon Lake he grew up in. The final question was, "Can we make ALPS a place truly for everyone?" Sabin said a recent email from a local parent opened his eyes to the need for accessibility. He read from the email, which described how kids with disabilities have to go to other cities to find playgrounds they are able to use. Fencing was discussed as a safety feature, but also as a safeguard for children on the autism spectrum who may have a tendency to wander or run away. For Avon Lake resident Ashley Azara, who has a daughter with autism, this issue is personal. She spoke during the audience participation portion of the meeting in favor of building a fence around the park. "(My daughter) likes to hide in small places. So we don't go to the parks very often. We don't go anywhere," she said. "So something like a fence would mean so much to us. I know it's a small thing, but it would give us a place to go when there isn't an outlet for us." Another attendee said he has two kids in wheelchairs who often struggle with swings, because the fabric on the harnesses often falls off or is taken. He suggested looking into alternatives to make swings more accessible. Sabin and Kopin agreed that a playground that meets Americans With Disabilities Act standards would become a destination for children who cannot access traditional playground equipment, as well as being in line with the spirit of the town, they said. Other attendees offered design suggestions, including incorporating elements of the current playground and separating a toddler section from the main area. When the design has been finalized, Renew ALPS will begin raising funds for its construction, a process Sabin and Kopin did not discuss in detail because the cost is not yet clear. But for now, it's just a vision, and Kopin summed it up: "I don't have a full vision of the park yet, but I don't picture it as just a playground," he said. "I picture it as a community park. We want you to go there and bring a picnic lunch and have fun with the kids." Anyone interested in volunteering for the effort can email Renew ALPS at letsrenewalps@gmail.com.