The City of Bowling Green celebrated the grand opening of the new Inclusive Playground at Roland Bland Park with a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, April 21, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com)

Bowling Green now has a playground that is entirely suitable for children of all physical and mental abilities to enjoy.

During a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday at Roland Bland Park, the city held a grand opening for the new inclusive playground that features rubberized ground surfaces and fully accessible equipment.

Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Department Director Brent Belcher said the parks department worked for several years to make the playground a reality.

“The city of Bowling Green began doing services for individuals with special needs 40 years ago,” Belcher said. “We wanted a playground that could provide a place where everybody could have fun. The next priority was that everything here had to be inclusive. When you are serving the community, that doesn’t stop with one section. It’s the entire community, and we take that very seriously.”

Belcher said completion of an inclusive playground has been a personal goal during his 27 years with the parks department. The goal was shared by the rest of the department and the city as well.

“You never accomplish this as a single person,” Belcher said. “As a parks department, we worked 40 years to have a day like today. This is the department’s focus and dedication. We thank the city of Bowling Green for sharing our values.”

Construction started in late fall before it was finished in March. Belcher said the playground is about a $500,000 project. The city paid about $250,000, and the rest was funded with grants.

The project was made possible through a public and private partnership between the city, PNC Bank, United Way and the state. Belcher said it took a true “village effort” to make the playground a reality.

Also present at the ribbon-cutting were Mayor Todd Alcott and City Commissioners Dana Beasley-Brown, Sue Parrigin, Carlos Bailey and Melinda Hill.

Alcott made a statement on behalf of the commissioners.

“Our parks are the soul of Bowling Green and the soul of our community,” Alcott said. “They represent who we are and what we are. I just want to say thank you to the board and to the parks (department) for the desire and dreams to put this into place. And what a place to put this. This is the heart and soul of Bowling Green at Roland Bland Park.”

Also present at the ribbon-cutting were representatives from PlayPros, an Indiana-based playground equipment supplier. The company helped work to make the Bowling Green playground as accessible as possible.

“At PlayPros, we believe that all kids are created equal,” PlayPros sales representative Andrea Halbig said. “We create play environments using inclusive playground equipment that welcomes kids and families of all abilities.

“An inclusive playground provides just the right level of challenge that it addresses all levels of abilities,” Halbig said. “It goes beyond minimum accessibility to create play experiences that meet a variety of needs and interests.”

Perhaps the most inclusive feature of the playground is that the vast majority of the ground is made out of recycled tire rubber, which Halbig said is safe for all children.

Also, open spaces separate each set of accessible play equipment in the area to provide adequate space for its occupants.

While the accomplishment is a large one for the city and for the parks department, Belcher said the work has only just begun.

“This is not a finish line for our department,” Belcher said. “But we are pleased to have Bowling Green’s first inclusive playground. We will cherish that honor for a long time.”

– Follow reporter John Reecer on Twitter @JReecerBGDN or visit bgdailynews.com.