Playground Guide - 2016 - 6

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Friendship Park -
A Community Meeting Place

magine a beautiful park with basketball and tennis
courts, soccer and baseball fields, a dog park and three
playgrounds located less than 20 miles from Phoenix.
Imagine that this was a destination for families from miles
around. No need to imagine this incredible space - this is
Friendship Park in Avondale, Arizona.
It is Avondale's mission to provide open spaces and recreational opportunities for the community and Friendship
Park is a representation of that mission. When one of the
playgrounds needed to be replaced, the city of Avondale
partnered with Play It Safe Playground and Park Equipment
in Mesa, Arizona, and BCI Burke playgrounds to help create
a playspace worthy of this amazing park.
Public input is of highest priority in a community-focused
city like Avondale and Play it Safe ideated multiple ways to
gain that input and get everyone excited about the new play
environment! They began by attending
Avondale's Winterfest and spent hours
talking with attendees at their booth. All
data was studied and put into categories that helped shape the design of the
playground and guided them to include
particular play events. After developing
four design options, Play it Safe created
a webpage where the designs were displayed and could be voted on. The city

of Avondale helped to encourage everyone to vote for their
favorite design and the most popular design - a beautiful,
colorful inclusive play environment - won the vote!
The inclusive playground is divided into multiple areas
that encompass everything the community felt was important. There is a ramped play structure for ease of access for
all children that includes the exciting Cruiser™ Wheelchair
Accessible Rocker and an area of musical exploration and
swinging in both individual and multiuser formats. There is
an area of fitness play, designed to allow children to get the
maximum amount of physical activity while playing. Finally,
there is an area specifically for 2-5 year olds that helps them
develop balance and coordination and offers an environment
for them to take age-appropriate risks. The Freestanding REV
8 spinner can hold up to 25 children and gives them the opportunity to spin, climb and push all on the same play event.
There are endless possibilities within this
play environment!
The voting process was complete but
keeping the community involved was
an ongoing priority. Signs were posted
throughout the park to get everyone excited about the new playground coming soon!
As the date grew closer, a grand opening
event was scheduled for April 9, 2016, to
coincide with KidFest. The entire community was invited to partake in the opening
of this new space and enjoy activities that
celebrate family and community. Play It
Safe and Burke attended to show support,
capture photographs and enjoy a day with the community.
Now the playground at Friendship Park is a main attraction and helps keep kids and families moving and active! Kids
love the exciting variety of sliding, spinning, rocking, musical
exploration and swinging! With play environments designed
for both ages 2-5 and 5-12, children can come to play, meet
friends and get the needed exercise and time outdoors!

1-800-266-1250
bciburke.com
4

Parks & Recreation

| 2 0 1 6 P L AYG R O U N D G U I D E | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

http://www.bciburke.com

Playground Guide - 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Playground Guide - 2016