A photo of Lillith Rodriguez, submitted by Mandi Riel.
WESTFIELD—The community development office, along with the commission for citizens with disabilities, is looking into making an all-abled playground in the city.
The playground, if approved by Mayor Brian Sullivan and city council, will be done through the already-existing Hampton Ponds playground, according to Peter Miller, director of community development in the city. He said that the idea came after Mandi Riel, a parent of two children with disabilities, had approached the commission for citizens with disabilities about the idea.
Riel said that the idea came after she noticed her daughter, Lillith Rodriguez, now 3, having difficulty at the playground. Lillith is diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Her brother and Riel’s other child, Reese Rodriguez, 10, is diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, as well as bipolar depression.
“When she was able to be up and running and playing she wasn’t able to do any of the things on the normal playground that other kids could do,” Riel said.
Riel said that one solution was that there are all-abled playgrounds in Belchertown and Agawam, but those options aren’t always feasible based on distance and time. Riel decided that she wanted to see if there was a way to get a playground in Westfield for those with children with disabilities, where all children could play together.
“This isn’t just for special needs kids, this is for typical children as well,” she said.
A photo of Reese Rodriguez, submitted by Mandi Riel.
And according to Miller, the city has agreed.
“We agreed with her that it is one of the features we don’t have in our parks and recreation portfolio,” Miller said.
According to Miller, the city is incorporating the plan into the renovation project for the Hampton Ponds playground. The project is being designed by R Levesque Associates and Miller said that the project is estimated to cost about $408,000 to complete.
The community development office is pursuing a grant to help pay for the project, called the Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) grant. The PARC grant would give the city about $285,000 for the project, while the city would have to contribute about $122,000.
“The thought is to put the design together this summer and fall, and construction the following spring if we get the grant,” he said.
Currently, the city is receiving about $52,000 for the potential project from the commission for citizens with disabilities, which would cover at least a portion of the $122,000 contribution from the city.
“This isn’t coming out of tax money and this couldn’t be used for anything else in the city, had to be used exclusively for handicapped projects,” Madeline Nicoletti, chairperson for the commission, said.
According to Nicoletti, the funds have come from fines that have been levied on those who park illegally in handicap parking spaces. These fines can be as high as $500.
Nicoletti added that there will also be $2,500 put aside from the fine collection and given to the police department for handicap positioning, as well as a countdown light and sounds, for a light on North Elm Street to help those who are visually impaired.
