All-inclusive accessible playground opening in Manatee County this year
BRADENTON, Fla. - A plot of land at Tom Bennett Park off State Road 64 in Manatee County is being transformed into an accessible playground.
"We work towards helping children one community at a time," said Neil Unruh.
Neil Unruh is the immediate past president of the Bradenton Kiwanis. For their 100th anniversary, the club wanted to leave their mark on the community.
"We were looking at different ideas on how we could make a great impact on this community. We decided on an all-inclusive accessible playground," he shared.
Last May, the Kiwanis presented a check of nearly $785,000 dollars to Manatee County. It was a step to make their dream a reality.
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"We’ll have a merry-go-round that is wheelchair accessible. They can either slide right on and be spun or they can do the spinning themselves. We will have a zip line that has ADA access to it. We will have swings that have that. We will have two structures that they can roll right up on and participate on," said Unruh.
It’s the first of it’s kind in Manatee County.
"This is a very special day for Manatee County, for kids with special needs, for all kids," said Tom Waters.
Tom Waters, the President and CEO of Easterseals Southwest Florida said it will open doors for families.
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"You don’t have to come to the park with some of your kids who get to play and others who have to stay and watch, the joy of running in and participating is for each child, so siblings can play together," said Waters.
The playground will be open by late March or early April, and it’s not the only amenity coming to the park.
"Manatee County is building a splash pad for almost $600,000 that will be joined up next to this playground, and it’ll be all-inclusive as well. It sort of becomes a destination in this county as well," said Manatee County Commissioner Kevin VanOstenbridge.
"This will be a community resource that will live on forever," said Unruh.