Pinecrest Community Association faced an issue similar to many other home owners associations across the region. They knew that it was time to replace several of their playgrounds and that community input was important to them. Their playgrounds were outdated, but perhaps more importantly, they were not being used.
They had many factors to consider. They had begun their playground process by surveying their homeowners to get a sense of what families wanted to see on the playground. They wanted to make sure that they met the needs of the youngest users, ages two to five years, but also that the older kids, ages five to twelve, were challenged enough. So, they had a list of play events they wanted to include. They had a limited budget as well as limited available footprints for both sites. The final challenge was the COVID pandemic, which delayed their installation timeline.
Kelly Zimmer, a resident and integral part the playground team, recalls that the entire process took time but that it truly was a community effort. When Kelly and her team selected All Recreation, they were able to articulate their vision into several different designs and have the community vote for their selection. Kelly noted that her sales representative, Bert Weltens, took the time to work with the community board and helped to educate them on costs and how to include play value in limited space.
The new playgrounds could not have come at a better time. With the persistence of COVID, the neighborhood has appreciated having safe play spaces within their community where their children can move and be outdoors. The families have figured out how to take turns on different play events and then rotate, to keep the children safe and happy. Best of all, the playgrounds are now widely used by many families in the community.