City dedicates inclusive playground at community center
Published 6:00 am Sunday, July 20, 2025
Nearly oven-like heat did not stop a group of local officials from gathering at the Parker-Bennett Community Center on Thursday to dedicate a new playground, one that promises to increase the city’s recreational options for children with disabilities.
“ … The fact that our parks (department) listens and are so passionate about inclusivity in our parks and making sure every kid can play, it makes Bowling Green so special, such an incredible place to live,” Bowling Green City Commissioner Dana Beasley-Brown stated during the dedication ceremony.
Parker-Bennett’s playground marks the second inclusive-focused play area Bowling Green Parks and Recreation has opened, the first at was at Roland Bland Park, which opened in the spring of 2021.
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The playground at the community center features adaptive play structures complete with ramps, sensory panels and other inclusivity-oriented equipment with a turfed surface underneath, something Cameron Levis, recreation division manager for BGPR, said is the basis of inclusive design.
“Surfacing is kind of the ticket to accessible play,” Levis said, noting that traditional playground surfacing like mulch poses difficulties to many users with mobility issues. “Trying to get an accessible yet safe surface is a big thing, so obviously it starts with the astro-turf.”
Levis said during the dedication that it took the city “50 years plus” to open its first accessible playground.
“ … After that, it became the goal to make that the standard, not the exception,” he said.
City Manager Jeff Meisel stood in for BGPR head Brent Belcher during the dedication. Reading from remarks Belcher prepared, Meisel said BGPR is “proud to be a major factor in our community’s quality of life.”
“ … Imagine the City of Bowling Green without our parks,” Meisel challenged the crowd. “Can you imagine? I can’t imagine. It’s an important part of our way of life here in Bowling Green.”
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Present at the dedication were Shalana Page and her daughter Shatavia Barber, who uses a wheelchair for mobility. City officials credited Barber and her mother for raising awareness with the city over the need for an inclusive playground at the community center.
“Those that know me know that inclusion means everything to me,” Page told attendees. “It’s kind of difficult sometimes when you don’t actually live it to see things the way we see every day, but it’s very important to us.”
Page said she has had to “think outside of the box” when Shatavia has expressed interest in different activities, considering things like transportation. Ultimately, the two decided to talk to the city about an inclusive playground.
Page said she told her daughter she had to have a voice for things like this, and said she is “so, so proud” of her.
“This park is just proof that when you advocate for yourself, you never know who is listening,” Page said.
When asked to speak, Barber summed up her thoughts.
“Thank y’all for all (your) support,” Barber said. “The park means a lot.”
About Jack Dobbs
Jack covers city government for the Daily News. Originally from Simpson County, he attended Western Kentucky University and graduated in 2022 with a degree in journalism.
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