Dear Council and Parks and Recreation Commission,
My name is Jennifer Johnson, and I was a Parks and Rec Commission member, and a subcommittee member for the design and execution of playground renovations, prior to, during the development of, and after the Nealon Park renovation. The goal for this renovation was to build an accessible and inclusive playground in Menlo Park, which had not previously existed. The project was designed to be an “all abilities“ playground where families could come where their disabled and non-disabled members could all enjoy the playground to its fullest. Each element of this playground was specifically selected to suit a purpose. Many were chosen to be accessible to children with disabilities. Some were chosen to allow for non-disabled siblings and peers to be physically challenged. The surfacing was designed so that caregivers (parents, grandparents, and others of all abilities) could be close and engage with and supervise their charges. Some playground elements were selected to allow children with disabilities to play alongside their non-disabled peers.
The “El Capitan” zip line element was one such piece of equipment where a disabled and typically developing child could play alongside each other providing an inclusive experience for both.
During the process of design of the Nealon Park playground, the community, including close neighbors, was invited to attend multiple events during which their input was actively solicited as well as opportunities to comment on design and implementation through virtual methods. The neighbor(s) who is now complaining about noise never raised this issue at any time prior to the placement of equipment. The fact that some are making noise and causing a nuisance after hours should not result in the all rightful users of the sole all abilities playground losing key elements or the goals of the City and Parks and Recreation of serving the entire community, regardless of age, ability, or other demographic differences, be hampered. Off hours use or abuse of playground equipment should be dealt with as a code violation and a police matter.
I applaud the Parks and Recreation Commission for seeing this matter to its just and rightful conclusion. The playground elements that meet the goals of accessibility, equity, and inclusion must be maintained.
Thank you all for your diligent support of accessibility, equity, and inclusion!
Jennifer Johnson
Sent from my iPhone
