INNISFAIL – On the third day of installation, the playground tower still had to be completed at the north end of the Napoleon Park Sports Field.
It was hot. Everyone was tired. But the remaining volunteers gave it their all. The tower was in.
There were still some odds and ends to complete but after three days, from Aug. 11 to 13, dozens of volunteers had accomplished their mission.
All the features for Innisfail’s first-ever all-inclusive playground were installed. All that is left to complete is the rubber surface, which is expected to start this week.
“We've had lots of volunteers, from the fire department, Kinsmen, council, town staff, RCMP and press,” said Tim Ainscough, the Innisfail Kinsmen chairperson for the playground project. He noted there was also out-of-town volunteers who came simply because they wholeheartedly believed the project’s inclusivity goal was so vital.
“Everybody's been out to help. And we've even got help from Herc Rentals, and just community members have been here to help. So, it's been great.”
The dazzling new facility, a Park N Play playground design with a budget of around $275,000, is just one part of a trifecta of dreams for the young on the northwest side of the sports field behind the Innisfail Twin Arena.
Immediately east, concrete was being poured for the new $311,500 outdoor rink. To the west of the playground is the nearly completed $500,000 Diamond 7 project.
All three projects are expected to be part of a grand opening in mid-September.
“I think project after project we see volunteers come forward and working out here in the heat all day,” said Mayor Jean Barclay, who was also a project volunteer. “We’ve got the outdoor rink next door and Diamond 7 on the other side. It’s become a real recreational campus down here.”
But last weekend the playground build shined the brightest, largely due to volunteers’ enthusiasm for the project’s sacred mission that it must include every child regardless of any physical, developmental, emotional or learning challenge.
“I actually work with children with special needs, so this is an amazing perk for them,” said local volunteer Krista Schneider. “They (children) are able to play alongside kids their own age, their friends and do the same activities. And then there is less of a difference, less of a gap between their skills.”
Larry Horeczy is the chief operating officer for Variety – the Children’s Charity of Alberta. His non-profit organization has been actively supporting all-inclusive playgrounds since 2000; most recently in Camrose, Cochrane, Okotoks and Blackfalds.
“If you don't do it as a fully inclusive playground you're leaving people out, including little people, people with Down Syndrome, people who are in wheelchairs, grandparents who can’t get through the gravel, and young moms trying to push a stroller,” said Horeczy, noting the comprehensive design elements of Innisfail’s new facility.
"There is 124 holes in this playground, meaning you've got 124 different posts and uprights and everything else,” he said. “So, you've got dozens and dozens of play elements here, from little sensory panels to slides to swings, everything.”
Most importantly, said Red Deer volunteer Steve Holmes, the all-inclusive playground will ensure every child will have the opportunity to experience the joy and wonder of play, of being part of something special.
“That's the main thing here. We don't want to leave out anybody, especially individuals that already have that sense of being left out,” said Holmes. “Things aren't always fair in life. So, maybe this is just a way that we can make things a little bit more equal.”
