With the aim of promoting inclusivity and community engagement, Corvallis Parks and Recreation unveiled a new all-inclusive playground in Avery Park in December 2024.
The new playground is located on the east end of the park, directly across from the Corvallis Parks and Recreation Admin Office.
The new features include a picnic shelter, two gender-neutral bathrooms and all-inclusive play equipment, such as a play structure with a wheelchair-accessible ramp. This is the first wheelchair-accessible play structure in the Corvallis area.
The ground is carpeted with bouncy astroturf which is green and blue to resemble the surrounding woods and Marys River. The main structure resembles a treehouse, and a sandbox offers those who play in the playground an opportunity to truly interact with the natural world.
One of the main goals of the playground was to utilize integrated play, in which disabled and nondisabled individuals can play together. Even on a cold January afternoon, the playground was filled with children and their parents playing on the new equipment.
“It opened in the winter, so I really look forward to seeing, when the weather gets better, the real impact,” said Meredith Petit, director of Corvallis Parks and Recreation.
“Because of its size and location, it’s a destination park where people typically drive here, so it’s meant to serve a broader part of the population,” Petit said.
Construction on the new playground began in May and took six months to complete. The budget was just over $1 million and drew funds primarily from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Land and Water Grant, but also drew from the American Rescue Plan, System Development Charges and general funds.
Corvallis Parks and Rec ran multiple focus groups to get input from the community about what they wanted to see from the new playground. Groups and organizations such as The Arc of Benton County, the Disability Equity Center, OSU’s Kids Spirit and IMPACT program, and Benton County Public Health all contributed their ideas.
Corvallis Parks and Recreation then teamed up with Landscape Structures, a playground equipment company, and an engineering firm to turn the ideas into reality.
“It was really important to us, when this time came around, to replace the playground to use this kind of as a flagship model for moving forward for trying to develop some more inclusive features,” Petit said.
The old playground, which was many decades old, was torn down in the spring. It was characterized by a squeaky set of metal swings, a structure made entirely of tires and a wooden boat. Where there is now colorful astroturf, there were once bark chips, and it was far from all-inclusive. Petit described the old playground as “beyond its lifespan.”
“Dude it was bad, man, it needed to be fixed so I’m happy that they updated it,” said Mike Derosier, local game designer and father, during his first visit to the new playground.
“It reminded me of the parks I used to play on before public safety,” Derosier laughed as he recalled the old playground. He had some complaints about the new playground such as concerns about possible detrimental health impacts of astroturf, but he acknowledged that it was a big step up from the old one.
Despite the lack of inclusivity and the criticism that the old playground faced, the new playground did not forget to pay homage to its predecessor. The wooden boat was replaced with an orange Swayfun feature, an all-inclusive piece of playground equipment that rocks like a boat, keeping the nautically inclined youth entertained.