Little Places to Play

When District Commissioners created parks containing athletic fields geared toward use by teenagers and adults, they didn't forget about the little people.

Commissioners prioritized the inclusion of state-of-the-art playgrounds where the youngest members of the Boca Raton community could swing, slide, climb and crawl – often while their older siblings played youth sports.

“I think those playgrounds are terribly important,” Commissioner Bob Rollins said. “That's where young children learn to play with others. That's where they learn to recreate. That's where they meet new kids their age. That's where the parents can go and relax and watch their kids play. It's just healthy for these kids to be able to have some place to go besides a rectangular field or a ball diamond.”

The three District-owned Boca Raton parks feature five playgrounds designed to entertain toddlers and elementary school-aged children.

Patch Reef, the first park ever developed by the District, offers two playgrounds. The most prominent is a Pirate-themed playground where children can climb a wooden pirate ship, scurry from rock to rock on cargo nets and soak their friends with water cannons.

There's also a second, smaller, playground within the tennis complex, where children can be kids while their parents play a few sets.

“Oh, it was always assumed you're always going to have a playground,” said Dirk Smith, a District Commissioner from 1988-2012 who helped create Patch Reef and Sugar Sand parks. “You would not build anything without a playground at it.”

Like Patch Reef, Sugar Sand also features two playgrounds. The Science Playground received national acclaim for its design and the manner in which it was built (a future newsletter will highlight the Science Playground in greater depth). There's also the Tot Lot, a smaller playground near the ball fields where parents can watch their toddlers play while keeping an eye on their older child's youth league games.

The Boca Raton Swim and Racquet Center boasted tennis courts and a swimming pool when the District purchased the property in 2000, but there wasn't a playground.

District Commissioners rectified that issue with a renovation that added not only a playground but an adjacent splash pad as well.

“I love that it's age-appropriate for the younger children – specifically 4 and under,” said Katie Zitzmann who, along with son Packer, are frequent visitors to the Swim and Racquet playground. “It's a great little playground where I don't really have to worry about him, so I can chat with the moms and the friends. Also, they have a splash pad. It's great to have both features where they can go back and forth. We love it!”

The evolution of District playgrounds continues. Inspired by a request from the Ogman family, Commissioners are currently in the midst of renovating the Pirates Cove playground at Patch Reef Park to make it more inclusive to children of all abilities.

On Friday three companies submitted bids to construct the new inclusive playground at Patch Reef Park. Commissioners have already started the process of analyzing those bids to choose the playground builder. They expect to select the winning bid in the coming weeks.
 
“Having the accessibility for all abilities is so important going forward,” Commissioner Suzi Vogelgesang said.