The playground at Bliss Park will be renovated to increase compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and best practices for accessibility.
Reminder Publishing file photo
LONGMEADOW — Coming shortly after the recent opening of new, inclusive playgrounds at Wolf Swamp, Center and Blueberry Hill elementary schools, Longmeadow Town Manager Lyn Simmons announced that another playground in town will be completely renovated with inclusive play in mind.
Longmeadow has received an $824,325 grant award from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund to make the playground at Bliss Park compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“We are thrilled to have received an award from such a competitive program,” said Simmons. “This award will allow the town to update another of our public playgrounds to a fully accessible destination for children of all abilities.”
Since 1964, the Land and Water Conservation Grant Program has been supporting water resources, natural areas and cultural heritage and recreational areas. Rather than being sourced from tax revenue, the program uses earnings from federal offshore oil and gas leasing to help fund projects. Eight towns were selected for these grants this year.
The funding is a 50-50 reimbursement grant. The grant will cover half of the estimated $1.64 million project cost. Anticipating the grant, the town voted to fund this project at the May 14 Town Meeting.
The physical conditions at the playground have deteriorated. Some equipment is missing, the playscapes are not ADA-compliant and the picnic tables lack accessibility. Beyond the equipment, there are structural drainage issues to the playground. This often results in flooding, which would likely get worse as weather events continue to intensify.
The renovation project will address these issues, with improved drainage, new inclusive benches and picnic tables and playground equipment that exceeds ADA requirements and can be used by children of all abilities, ages 6 months and older. A rubberized surface will make the playground safe for falls, while also allowing wheelchairs and mobility devices to safely travel over it, a feature mulched playgrounds lack.
Bliss Park’s playground was built in 2006 as an inclusive playground for families of all abilities. However, over the past two decades, the understanding of what is best for children has changed.
“Bliss [Park playground] no longer meets best practices for accessibility due largely to how those best practices have progressed. We are differentiating [Americans with Disabilities Act] requirements from accessibility best practices. ADA requires there to be equipment available for use by children with disabilities. Accessibility best practices, instead, advocate for a more inclusive play environment by making shared, instead of separate, play equipment and spaces available so that children of all abilities are playing alongside each other,” said Assistant Town Manager Corrin Meise-Munns.
While the design exceeds ADA requirements, Meise-Munns said, “ADA design features can often backfire. For example, a large ramped structure or too many play panels dedicated to specific abilities can instill signals to children and adults that there are specific areas for specific people. In the Bliss playground renovation design, the presence of multiple material types and structures provide a sensory engagement beyond what a play panel would provide, allowing someone who may be on the autism spectrum, for example, to be free to go where they want and feel materials and have sensory engagement in a way that allows them to feel included. There are also design features incorporated for the visually impaired.”
Meise-Munns said the project, which must be completed by the end of 2026, will “create a sense of camaraderie, a sense of belonging, and a place where no matter a child’s unique abilities, they will be able to play alongside their peers on equipment that is not only universally accessible, but universally attractive and fun.”
