Baseball-Themed GameTime Playground is a Hit in California
The City of Bell, California, a suburb east of Los Angeles, recently installed new playground equipment in Veterans’ Memorial Park. The project is part of Los Angeles County’s progressive vision and commitment to health and wellness for children and families. Made possible, in part, by grant funding from GameTime and a cooperative purchasing agreement through Omnia Partners, the new playground is designated a National Demonstration Site by PlayCore.
Watch the video to see the new playground at Veteran's Memorial Park in City of Bell, California
Accessible and Custom Surfacing
The new GameTime playground at Veteran’s Memorial Park features poured-in-place rubber surfacing from GT Impax that provides accessible routes of travel throughout the play area. The custom playground surfacing is designed to look like a baseball field. Installed along the “third base line” is a ZipTrack. "Riding the ZipTrack is like sliding into home plate. It’s a real thrill ride,” said Brandon Seitz, from Great Western Recreation, the exclusive representative of GameTime in Los Angeles County.
The ZipTrack Ride at Veteran's Memorial Park
Lots of Playground Equipment for Different Ages
Also included in the playground are swings, including GameTime’s popular and inclusive Expression Swing Universal, two play structures (one for ages 2 to 5 and one for ages 5 to 12), shade structures to keep play cool and comfortable, and adaptive, inclusive musical instruments. The playground was designed to appeal to a wide range of play styles. Climbers, slides and other playground activities were selected to provide play along a developmental continuum so the playground grows along with the skills of the children.
A Playground that Keep Children Moving
The red, white, and blue playground equipment promotes all six elements of physical play: climbing, balancing, brachiating, spinning, sliding, and swinging. By designing the playground to provide these six elements, and by using the PlayOn! Curriculum written by SHAPE America, in partnership with PlayCore, the community playground was designated a National Demonstration Site for Youth Physical Activity. It will be part of a community and nationwide research project to determine the positive impact of the playground and its contribution to the overall community vitality.
Community Commitment and Support
On hand for the grand opening of the new playground were officials from City of Bell, California, including Allan Perdomo, Alejandro Garcia, and Gabino Luna. They participated in a socially-distant ribbon cutting to celebrate the community’s accomplishment.
Physically distant, but socially together, officials from City of Bell celebrate the opening of their new playground
Make Research-Based Design Play Part of Your Community
If you are inspired by the innovative and playful design of this playground in Bell, California, and you want to create a playground based on best practice research for your community, we are here to help! Contact the GameTime representative in your neighborhood and start planning the perfect playground.
