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A special needs facility is coming to fruition in Canfield
CANFIELD
The construction of Walnut Grove, a special-needs outdoor venue at 8800 Columbiana-Canfield Road, will begin within the next few weeks, said Al Conti, Walnut Grove president.
Walnut Grove will comprise half of a 20-acre parcel owned and operated by a nonprofit organization, the Henry M. Halstead Field of Opportunity, which is dedicated to serving special-needs children.
Ten acres for Walnut Grove will be dedicated to developing wetlands and trails. The remaining 10 acres will be dedicated to developing a playground and facility specific to special-needs children and their families.
Park facilities will focus on balance, climbing and swinging as well as the inclusion of sensory rooms to stimulate different types of special needs.
Conti said there will be nothing like it in the area.
He is working on standardizing drawings and updating quotes for the project.
Construction of the parking lot, trails and bridge will follow shortly after.
Conti said he already received approval from Mill Creek MetroParks to attach Walnut Grove to the parks by an approved bridge.
“I think it’s a great partnership for us,” said Lori Shandor, Mill Creek MetroParks director of development.
Conti said it will be the special-needs addition the park district needs.
Liz O’Hara, playground committee director, said the idea came from a need for something in the area to be dedicated specifically to special needs.
“I’m constantly hearing from parents, and there’s nothing for kids to do besides school,” she said. “All they do is therapy activities.”
For the land, Conti said he was adamant about looking for a way to provide not only for special-needs children, but also for their parents and caregivers.
“If you want to see what good you can do, do something in your community,” Conti said.
The playgrounds estimated cost will be determined at the committee’s next meeting. The old $750,000 estimate may not be in line with rising costs that were different when the first estimate was made.
Both Conti and O’Hara agreed that a great deal of effort is being dedicated to making playground accommodations for wheelchairs.
“It will be usable for the complete spectrum of anyone who needs a special accommodation,” Conti said. “There will be swings, roundabouts and seesaws with wheelchair accessibility. Just because you’re in a wheelchair doesn’t mean your brain has died.”
O’Hara said she put a lot of research into the equipment and into what others facilities in Ohio have.
“We will have very innovative pieces of equipment you’ll never see in this area,” O’Hara said. “I visited many facilities in Ohio [parks] that they say they’re accessible, and the only thing I see is a ramp. [Special-needs] kids are unable to play on a lot of equipment still. We have to look at so many different factors in choosing equipment.”
Conti said because Walnut Grove will be unique to the tri-state area, he anticipates community involvement in the construction process, because there will be benefits from the park addition. Also, grant funding will be sought, he said.
“People will come from other areas, eat here and stay here because there is nothing else like this in Ohio,” he said.