All Abilities Park

In 2004, the Washington Jaycees began a conversation about the Washington parks system being enhanced with a new, special needs playground. The organization contacted Jerry Jasper, who was the director of the Parks and Recreation Department at the time, and shared the idea with him. He encouraged the group to move ahead with the project concept, but warned them of the high cost of a project of this scale.
In 2006, the Jaycees started to research the concept of an accessible park in earnest. They formed a committee to lead the efforts which consisted of Julie and James Straatmann, Bridgette Kelch, and Danielle Grotewiel. “I was dumbstruck by the thought that there are children that have never known the joy of playing in a park,” said Grotewiel.
Julie Straatmann contacted six different equipment providers and interviewed several therapists and parents of special needs children as she began research for the project. Being parents of a special needs child themselves, the project held an important spot in James and Julie’s hearts. The closest accessible park to Washington at the time was 45 minutes away, and traveling that far with a special needs child could be a challenge.
Through several discussions with therapists and parents of special needs children, the committee determined that this park would not only be for special needs children, but for everyone. They adopted the catch phrase, “Let’s Play Together,” and decided to name the yet to be constructed park the ‘All Abilities Park.’
The Jaycees worked closely with the Washington Parks Board to determine the best location for the park. After narrowing the location to two possible sites, the Jaycees consulted with the Washington Ambulance District, Washington Volunteer Fire Department, and the Washington Police Department. Since the primary users of the park would be more vulnerable to the need for quick access to emergency services, a location with immediate, unimpeded access was necessary. With this reality in mind, the location on South Lakeshore Drive, near the historic Kohmueller Farmhouse, was chosen.
Now that the park had a name and a location, the park committee - with Julie in the lead - poured over half a dozen equipment catalogs looking for the best selection of equipment for the new park. “It was important to have a variety of equipment that addressed many different varieties of disabilities,” said Straatmann.
Over the course of 18 months and after much consideration, the committee decided to partner with playground equipment manufacturer NuToys to make the dream of the park a reality. The company was instrumental in the design, development, and installation of the park and became a trusted ally of the Washington Jaycees. They did everything they could to keep the cost within the range the Jaycees asked for while ensuring the group was able to get all of the equipment that they wanted to complete the park.
The Jaycees would not have been able to make this amazing park happen without the unwavering support of the City of Washington and the community at large. The City was able to fund all of the upfront costs and provide in kind labor to the project. The total cost of the finished 6,000 square foot park was over $1 million dollars. The Washington Jaycees pledged $250,000 to pay for the playground equipment that was purchased.
The support provided for the park by the community was overwhelming. KJU Construction donated the initial site work and kept their construction bid to nearly cost by requesting donations from their suppliers and sub-contractors. Buescher, Frankenberg and Associates donated all of the survey work needed to prepare the park site. The Washington Rotary Club pledged nearly $50,000 to the project. Ziglin Signs and Graphics donated all of the signage throughout the park. “This park was truly a community effort,” commented Kelch.
Additionally, a group of young girls decided to host an event to raise money for the construction of the park. They called their event, which was a bike-a-thon, ‘Wheels for Wheels’ and raised over $25,000 for the park over a four-year period. The group managed lemonade stands and organized bake sales to raise funds, and they even received a donation in the form of one child’s birthday money. “It was so uplifting to have the kids bring us their donations. The park really helped to create a new generation of volunteers in the Washington community,” said Grotewiel.
The grand opening of the All Abilities Park was held on July 30, 2014, and it has been full of children playing together ever since.