July 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 52

D I S S E C T I N G A PA R K

tunity parks provide for residents to get fit
and improve health. Donating a fivepiece suite of outdoor fitness equipment,
Greenfields is adding an entirely new element to Joe Kneip. This outdoor fitness
zone is within walking distance to hundreds of teens, adults and seniors, providing a whole new way to experience and
benefit from Joe Kneip Park.
Joe Kneip Park will soon see distressed restroom
buildings like this replaced with improved
facilities courtesy of Public Restroom Company's
generous donation to Parks Build Community.

With average daytime
temperatures exceeding
100
degrees
during the summer,
shade is more than a
nicety in North Las Vegas. Shaded
areas realize cooling effects of 10-15
degrees in air temperature and as
much as 50 degrees in surface temperature. Shaded areas are a respite
during the sweltering summer heat
and allow for outdoor activities yearround. Modern woven shade fabrics
can block 95 percent of UV rays, so
increasing the shade coefficient at Joe
Kneip was a priority. Shade 'N Net is
making the outdoor fitness zone usable even on the hottest days thanks
to the donation of a 30-foot by 30
foot shade canopy structure. And,
Sun Ports is helping keep the kids
cool with a new canopy over the playground. The increased shade at the
park will create an environment more
inviting and usable to park patrons
young and old.
A park is not a park
without play. Of
course, play takes
different shapes depending on the park
and user, but a requisite of a good
park is good play. This is never more
50 Parks & Recreation

relevant than at Joe Kneip Park. Surrounded by a community without
nearby opportunities for outdoor
play, the park draws families and children from blocks away. " Providing
kids a really fun space to let loose,
laugh and play together was a priority for us, " says Kevin Cook, director
of sales for Playworld. " The new
play amenities going into Joe Kneip
will be a hit with the kids, I'm sure of
that " he adds. Play was the impetus
in selecting Joe Kneip Park for this
year's project. The playground was
beyond its functional life and the opportunity to provide a fantastic new
playspace, where one was so badly
needed, set this park apart. The hub
of this park, the new playground, will
make Joe Kneip a family-focused fun
zone for the neighborhood.
Parks are a natural
avenue for healthy
activity and the
connection between recreation and wellness is well-known. Gone are the days of
envisioning outdoor fitness as only chinup bars and inclined benches placed
along a trail. Today, outdoor fitness can
be more engaging and impactful than
even the fanciest indoor gym. Headquartered in neighboring California, Greenfields Outdoor Fitness knows the oppor-

| J U LY 2 0 1 5 | W W W. N R PA . O R G

Often unnoticed by
the general public,
the surfacing of a
park is a critical component. A multitude of textures, from loose, natural fill
to grass to precise impact-attenuation
materials lay underfoot, yet kids and
adults often traverse a park without giving much thought to what's under their
sneakers. Made much safer thanks to
FlexGround's poured-in-place surfacing, children hanging from and climbing on the new playground will have an
extra measure of protection, so parents
can worry less about letting their kids
be kids. One of the safest surfacing materials available, thanks to being highly
engineered and durable, this colorful
new surfacing may arguably be the
most important aspect of this and any
playground build. At the other end of
the spectrum, though still highly engineered, is the new soccer field, grown
exceptionally lush and resilient thanks
to Mirimichi Green's donation of premium soil enhancer. The new soccer
field will transform the open field into a
gathering place for the community to
cheer on neighbors and friends.
The opportunity to
play in water, especially
in a hot climate, is an
undeniable attraction
for all children. Welcoming the park's first
splash pad thanks to Whitewater
West, the community around Joe
Kneip Park will soon have fun in the
sun and refuge from the heat. Incorpo-

July 2015 - Parks & Recreation

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