Newspaper Page Text
Page 10 September 10, 2023 StarNews www.starnewsgaontine.com
CONNIE MCNIEL from front page
the option of a completely accessible park for
the disabled, no matter their age or ability. The
idea of ‘All Ages & Abilities Accessible Park’
was bom.”
How important is this type of park?
According to the 2020 Census, in Carroll
County 10.6% (13,206) out of the population
of 124,592 people have a disability. “And you
and I could add to that statistic with an accident
or medical challenge at any time,’’said McNiel.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
requires access to public recreation spaces as
our civil right. However, meeting ADA
standards for a park does not make the park
fully accessible for all disabilities.
“So, in 2021,1 began contacting people, the
chamber of commerce, the government - any
one who would listen - and started having
meetings. I met with Carrollton Mayor Betty
Cason and City Manager David Brooks and
they mentioned property at Hobbs Farm in
Carrollton might be a possibility,” she said. “I
also met with Jonathan Hardesy and David
Derbecker of Superior Recreational Products.
They were immediately on board and became
deeply involved!”
McNiel and Hardsey made their presentation
to the Carrollton City Council this past April
and with the assistance of Mayor Cason and
City Manager Brooks, council approved pro
viding the land at Hobbs Farm for the park,
which is located just off north Highway 27
(before the Ingles shopping center). Once built,
the city will maintain the park, but all funding
for the construction will be raised through pri
vate donations.
The plan for the AAA Park is to have access
ramps that are double in width and providing
enough space for two-way travel on the ramp,
so individuals can come and go at the same
time. The surfacing will be a rubber surface
with playground turf.
“Which means there will be no wood chips
at all, even in the landscaping, because wood
chips are dangerous. You can get one wood
chip on a surface and if someone tries to go
over it, they could actually get stuck with an
accident,” Connie said. “There will be addi
tions made to the existing bathrooms to include
two electric powered, adult-sized changing
tables. There will be two pavilions for meeting
areas as well as a music garden and a merry-
go-round. And it will give children from all
backgrounds and abilities an opportunity to
bond with one another - increasing awareness!”
“Superior Recreational Products here in
Carrollton,” Connie continued, “will design
and build the park.
Jonathan and his staff
have been tremendous
and made all the dif
ference in making this
a reality. They have
donated approxi
mately 35% of their
cost as their way of
giving back. You may
remember in 2018 they had a huge fire and the
community rallied to help them - now they are
giving back!” Jonathan added, “As a company,
Superior Recreational Products is proud to
partner with the City of
Carrollton to bring a fully
accessible playground to our
community in which we live,
work, and play. The pro
posed spot at Hobbs Farm
will be for everyone, regard
less of age and ability.
Furthermore, when the pro
posed site is finally com
pleted, it will be a destination site and attract
See “AAA PARK” at HOBBS page 17
The Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) requires access to
public recreation spaces as our
civil right. However, meeting
ADA standards for a park does
not make the park fully
accessible for all disabilities.
Marsh McLennan
Agency
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