Meijer Park Phase I
R E : I N V E N T I O N O F A C O M M U N I T Y PA R K
Placemaking
Through
Parks and Recreation
RE: Invention of a Community Park
• Placemaking and Connecting Points of Interest
• Phase I -Why a Splash Pad
• Funding and Partners
Placemaking and Connecting Points of Interest
One of the dominant theories of community economic development today is called
placemaking.
In general, the theory states that people and wealth are mobile assets that can be
retained and attracted by communities. Further, educated young people, creative
people and well-financed entrepreneurs can and do choose to live in places that are
engaging, welcoming, diverse and offer a wide range of cultural and natural
amenities. That is, vibrant communities that offer many options for learning,
playing and social engagement are places most of us actually want to live. These
are the places that job-creating entrepreneurs, as well as creative and educated
workers, will naturally gravitate to. From this perspective, economic development
requires a focus on making communities amenity-rich, attractive places.
Without a doubt, some of the most important amenities and key attractions are
parks, playgrounds, trails and pathways, heritage landscapes, and recreation
programs.
Phase I - Why Splash Pads?
For several years, splash pads and spray grounds have been identified as
desired amenities for all types of recreational environments.
Community Enhancement
Splash play areas provide a unique way of
bringing vitality to communities. They
bring families together, provide
refreshment on a hot summer day, and
have the potential to become a gathering
point where bonds are formed.
Healthy Play
Parents, citizens, and community leaders have
taken on the role of ensuring the health and wellbeing of children and future generations. While
kids flock to splash pads for fun, the pads are
ideal venues to help develop and maintain active
bodies and minds, especially in the following
areas:
• Motor skills and coordination
• Aerobic capacity
• Muscular strength
• Agility and reflexes
• Cognitive and sensorial learning.
Quality Interactions
Unlike organized sports, activities on splash pads are
genuinely unstructured and open to creativity, where children
make their own rules. Splash-pad interaction helps children to
develop socially, giving them the tools to cope with stress and
the means to actively solve problems.
The concept of “play for all” or “inclusive play” also is inherent in
splash pads. Their zero-depth nature and easily maneuverable
features make them accessible to people of all abilities
and ages. Cross-generational play is achieved through
age-appropriate sections or “bays,” allowing every
member of the family to benefit from quality
interactions.
Inherently Safe
With the intent to eliminate danger and create a stress-free family play
environment, splash pads have developed systems that consider safety
concerns. For instance, with no standing water, the risk of drowning is
eliminated. Through engineering and design, considerations are made to
effectively eliminate pinch points, protrusions, and risks of head entrapment.
This means parents can essentially sit and relax–fully clothed–while they
supervise their children, rather than have to accompany them into a
swimming pool.
Modest Investment
While splash pads cannot replace full-service pools, they are an affordable
way to add a water amenity for a relatively small investment. Compared to
splash pads, traditional swimming pools and wading pools have high startup and maintenance costs.
Less time is required to upkeep the system, and the need for trained staff
and lifeguards is lessened, therefore reducing labor costs.
The structures are built to be durable and resistant to vandalism, making
repairs and parts replacement minimal.
An increasingly popular option to generate revenue from–or to simply cover
the costs for–splash pads is the “pay for play” concept. By charging
minimal or no fees to residents, and slightly higher fees to non-residents,
spray parks can deliver funds to a department. Considering that pools
often have entry fees, visitors are typically willing to spend the money for
this experience.
Grow With The Flow
Communities looking for ways to provide water recreation might not be able
to build water parks and swimming pools, but they can provide a splash pad
relatively easily. One advantage splash pads offer is they are scalable to a
current financial situation, and can be expanded as funds become available.
Interchangeable anchoring systems, along with careful planning during the
design phase, allow a community to add a splash pad that fits within a
budget, while having the capability to add new play products at a later date,
stretching the overall cost over several years.
The anchoring system is put in place during the construction phase; the
necessary piping is installed, and the unused anchor points are covered with
spray caps until new features are ready to be installed. This allows
communities to enhance and alter a splash pad over the years by
interchanging elements within one splash pad, or even switching
products from one splash pad to another one in the community. This
refreshes the experience of users without additional cost.
Sustainable Play
Today, the need to conserve natural resources has become essential. As the popularity of splash
pads grow, so does the responsibility of using water in an effective, sustainable way. As such,
splash pads offer several conservation options that make them a viable and socially responsible
option.
Recirculation systems and capture-and-repurposing systems offer advanced technology for water
management, and serve as water-conservation options, as opposed to traditional drain-away
systems. They allow effluent water to be contained, filtered, disinfected, and redistributed in a
closed circuit, or for the water to be collected and transferred to a containment reservoir to be
repurposed to irrigation, leach, or replenishment systems.
Certain physical attributes of the play structures can also reduce water usage. Play features are
activated by users on demand only; water isn’t consumed beyond user interaction. The features
can also be sequenced so that water flow from feature to feature is distributed proportionally, as
opposed to all at once, and will automatically shut off after a set period of time.
High-efficiency nozzles are available in some water features, which reduce the amount of water
being expelled.
Funding and Partners as Proposed
• City of Brighton
• Brighton Downtown Development Authority
• Meijer Corporation
• Brighton Chamber Foundation
• SELCRA Foundation
• Corrigan Oil/BP Fueling Communities Grant
• Corporate Sponsorship
– Adopt a Crane Spray Element Plaques
• Naming Rights Program
– Pavilion
• In-Kind Donation of Construction
• Grants (Phase II and III)