gmhTODAY 16 gmhToday Sept Oct 2017 | Page 57

City Beat Inclusive Playground Becoming a Reality

Partnership with the Magical Bridge Foundation Moving Playground Reality Forward
Submitted By : Chris Ghione , Community Services Director Chris . ghione @ morganhill . ca . gov 408.782.9154
Maureen Tobin , Communications & Engagement Manager Maureen . tobin @ morganhill . ca . gov 408.310.4706
Jill Asher , Co-founder jill @ magicalbridge . org 650.520.5812

Imagine a place where children of all abilities feel welcome and comfortable . Imagine a playground where children can interact together easily without concern for age , size , ability or disability . Imagine a play space designed with inclusiveness as a top priority . That is just what two Morgan Hill residents , and former teachers , have been imagining and working hard to make a reality in Morgan Hill . With a combined 70 years of experience in serving children , Shirlee and Ron Locicero have made it their mission to bring an inclusive play space to the Morgan Hill community . This past summer , that dream has come to life with the announcement that the City of Morgan Hill will partner with the Magical Bridge Foundation to bring a Magical Bridge Playground to Morgan Hill ’ s Community Park .

On , July 19th , the Morgan Hill City Council unanimously approved a partnership with the Magical Bridge Foundation , committing to obtain $ 2 million in funding for the playground . The City of Morgan Hill will partner with Magical Bridge Foundation this fall to apply for a Santa Clara County Matching Grant for an additional $ 2 million . Community Park rests in the heart of Morgan Hill and welcomes its 33,000 residents , neighbors from across the region , and 250,000 annual visitors of all ages . It will be the first inclusive playground in the stretch between San Jose and Salinas , a point of pride for the City Council , the Morgan Hill Community Foundation , and many volunteers .
Since early 2015 , the City of Morgan Hill has been working with the Lociceros and a group of volunteers to obtain funding for an inclusive playground in Morgan Hill . The Morgan Hill Inclusive Playground Committee , which was formed under the Morgan Hill Community Foundation , has raised over $ 70,000 for this effort . An “ inclusive playground ” differs from an “ accessible playground ” in that it has the aim to make it not only accessible for those with mobility issues , but just as importantly , to encourage and enable all children to engage with one another while using the playground . Successful fundraising efforts for inclusive playgrounds have occurred in a number of nearby communities , including Salinas , Palo Alto , and San Jose .
In November 2015 , the City Council authorized Verde Designs , Inc . to begin work on conceptual designs for the Morgan Hill Inclusive Playground . During the design process , the volunteers of the Morgan Hill Inclusive Playground
Committee worked with the team at Verde Designs to gather input from the community on the wants and needs for the playground . This included three sessions with students at different schools , one community meeting , and a design session with the volunteers of the Committee .
The conceptual designs call for the new inclusive playground to replace the existing playground at Community Park . The design of the park pulls some elements from other inclusive playgrounds that have been found successful and integrates them with the ideas brought forward through the community outreach to create a design that will be unique to the Morgan Hill playground . It is currently believed that the cost to develop the playground is approximately $ 5.2 million .
“ Together with Magical Bridge , we will bring a much-needed inclusive playground to our community . The team at Magical Bridge has been successful in bringing other parks to fruition , and we ’ re excited to see the same done in our community ,” said Chris Ghione , Morgan Hill ’ s Community Services Director .
For more information about the Magical Bridge Playground in Morgan Hill and ways to support the project visit magicalbridge . org / morgan-hill
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017 gmhtoday . com
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