WATERVILLE – What started as a request for a single swing has evolved into plans for an entire playground that will serve children of all abilities.
When Haley Voigt saw that her daughter, who is on the autism spectrum, wasn’t able to fully enjoy her visits to the playground, the Waterville resident asked Mayor Tim Pedro if the city would install a swing with a back and a buckle in one of the local parks.
Within a few months, a swing was added to Conrad Park, but Pedro took it a step further, forming an ad hoc committee – with Voigt’s involvement – that would look into funding and building an inclusive playground somewhere in the city.
Two years later, Voigt is now celebrating the recent announcement that Waterville and Metroparks Toledo are teaming up to build an estimated $1.1 million inclusive playground on the site of an existing play area at Farnsworth Metropark.
“I really started this for my family. As a parent, you want to give them everything so they will thrive,” Voigt said of her children, Joan and Max. “This all started as an act of love from a mother to her kids. And now everyone else benefits from it.”
Pulling up a presentation on his laptop during the Sept. 28 Waterville City Council meeting, Metroparks Chief External Relations Officer Matt Killam shared conceptual renderings of a playground designed for universal access: wheelchair-accessible play equipment with transfer-accessible options; sensory play, including tactile, auditory and visual; a layout that lets every ability play side by side; sheltered, quiet spaces for visitors with sensory sensitivities; unitary poured-in-place surfacing without curbs, stairs or barriers; and an ADA restroom and expanded ADA parking. It’s a plan that meets the needs of not just the children, but the families who want to play alongside them or watch comfortably nearby, Voigt said.
The existing equipment was due for replacement in five years, but the timeline was moved up to meet the needs outlined by the Inclusive Playground Committee and to mark the Metroparks’ Centennial in 2028, Killam said. He expects a groundbreaking later this fall, with a spring 2028 completion.
With the Metroparks in the midst of upgrading all of its facilities over the next several years – including Farnsworth Metropark – it only made sense to work together to bring the park to fruition, Killam told council. A memorandum of understanding between the Metroparks and Waterville will be among the documentation shared as the Metroparks apply for a $500,000 Land and Water Conservation Grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. If the grant is awarded, it would cover nearly half of the cost, Killam said.
The Metroparks have already invested into a topographic survey, conceptual site plan, and equipment and design rendering. In total, the Metroparks are expected to invest nearly $850,000 in cash, in-kind and ongoing maintenance, he said, and this is committed regardless of the result of any capital campaigns.
Both the Metroparks and the city will share responsibility for fundraising, and both Voigt and Pedro are confident in bringing in what’s needed to support the project. When she initially began looking at the park, Voigt called her uncle Vince DiPofi, CEO of the engineering firm SSOE, for ideas and connections. DiPofi was the first donor to a fund held by the Greater Toledo Community Foundation for the project. Of the 50 potential donors identified, 10 have been contacted and all agreed to support the project at some level, Pedro added.
The mayor credits the work of the committee, which includes Voigt, Dawn Bentley, David Vrooman, Steve Schult and Jennifer Van Horn – a Waterville resident who is also chief planning officer for the Metroparks.
Having Van Horn on the committee was an asset, as she is not only a Waterville resident but understands the needs of both the Metroparks and the city, Voigt said. Getting the Metroparks to collaborate on the project was always the most ideal scenario, although the committee looked at other sites within the city parks, she said.
“This is what the Metroparks do: they know how to maintain the equipment and the grounds,” Voigt added.
Farnsworth has an estimated 100,000 visitors a year, and Killam expects that an accessible playground will attract whole families, who will enjoy playing on a site with parking, restrooms, seating and a shelter – all with a view of the Maumee River. In addition to serving families whose children have differing abilities, Pedro sees an additional benefit.
“This is more than building a play structure for kids. It’s a way to teach kids at a young age to play with kids of all abilities,” Pedro said.
Inclusive playgrounds also provide a benefit to the surrounding communities, as families come to town for the playground then stay for a meal, ice cream, gas and shopping, Voigt added.
Killam agreed.
“We want to make this a destination for many people,” Killam said.
