Mayor Calls For Decision About Community Park's Future

Fairhope, Alabama

NOT HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE

During his State of the City address, Mayor Kant called for the council to make a decision about the future of the community park playground on Church St.

Kant: "We've been debating that for five years.  Its time for myself and the council to sit down and make a decision. Are we going to take proposals ... bid it out ... do it right ... or still not have a park for all the children ... ."

Kant said he has recently received complaints about the lack of access to the facility by physically disabled children.

Kant: "Surely we can do better in Fairhope."

TWO COMPETING VISIONS

According to Council members Ford and Brewer, two citizens' groups (click) have recently addressed the Recreation Board about how to proceed to upgrade the park to make it handicapped accessible per the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990.

Play by the Bay, formerly a non-profit led by Katie Evans, proposed to raze the current 16+ year old mostly-wooden structure to the ground (saving as much of the art work as possible); and replace it using
composite materials instead of wood.

The founder's group of original builders/volunteers, represented now by Charlene Lee and Leanne Pearson propose to reconstruct the playground by salvaging and re-purposing existing wooden materials and components as much as possible -- using consultants from Play by Design Inc., a subsidiary of the original designer group.

The founders' group is requesting help from the council with its proposal (to evaluate the playground).

(As a requirement for renewing the long-term lease for the land, the Baldwin Board of Education is requiring a plan to bring the facility into compliance with the ADA. It is currently leasing  it to the city on a month-to-month basis.)

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