City's First 'All-Inclusive' Playground Opens July 28

In 2008, Renee Blain began talking with City officials about building a park in Temple Terrace that accommodated children with special needs.

Her daughter, Allie, has idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura or ITP, a condition in which the blood doesn’t clot at the levels it should.

If Allie falls from playground equipment, she could bleed to death, so she has been unable to play at City parks.

Until now.

Tomorrow (July 28), the City’s first “all-inclusive” playground will open to the public. It’s located adjacent to .

“It’s a project that’s been in the pipeline for a couple years now, and to finally see it come to be is very exciting,” said Karl Langefeld, division director for the City’s Parks and Recreation Department.

The City received $60,000 from Hillsborough County to construct the playground, said Mike Dunn, Temple Terrace’s public information officer. Clouds of Hope, the Blains’ non-profit foundation, helped pick out the playground equipment.

The playground will feature three main play areas:

• a swing set with special swings specifically designed for kids in wheelchairs;
• a main playground unit with ground-level features and an ADA compliant fall zone around the equipment; and
• an area with a music panel full of noisemakers and a sandbox complete with digging toys to provide children with a tactile experience.

“Sand just provides a lot of opportunity for creative expression,” Langefeld said.

He estimated that the playground covers a 1-acre area covered under large trees, making it heavily shaded during the day. There are also water fountains, benches and picnic tables.

Although the new playground will be dedicated tomorrow, the park has actually served the community for at least 15 years, Langefeld said.

Resident Joseph Stanko said he and his wife, Joan, live in the neighborhood served by the park and have been watching the installation of the new equipment.

“Our grandchildren, Gabrial (6) and Breanna (3) have been visiting the park each week watching the progress and trying out some of the equipment,” he wrote in an e-mail. “Their dad (our son Mark) and mom (Celina) were part of a work day at the park a few weeks back. They helped remove old bushes and plant the Jasmine vines along the fence.”

Gabrial and Breanna will be the second Stanko generation to enjoy the park.

“Our three boys visited it regularly with their grandparents,” Joseph Stanko explained.

Langefeld said the City is looking forward to offering the unique park to the community.

“We felt that having that in the City was important,” he said.

The opening dedication is scheduled for 3 p.m. tomorrow, and the public is welcome to join, according to the . Mayor Joe Affronti, City Council members and Hillsborough County commissioners have also been invited to attend.