On Wednesday, March 28, 2007, the City of Atlanta will officially open its first Boundless Playground at Wesley Coan Park, 1530 Woodbine Avenue, SE, Atlanta, GA 30307. The celebration will begin at 10 a.m. with remarks and a ribbon cutting ceremony and is free and open to the public.
Boundless playgrounds enable children of all ages, with or without disabilities, to boundlessly interact, learn and play together. The Coan Park playground will accommodate 160 children with equipment designed for toddler, elementary and middle school-aged youth of all abilities. Coan Park was selected as the site for the playground because surveys showed that the largest number of youth with special needs live in the Coan community and surrounding neighborhoods.
“The City of Atlanta is particularly proud to dedicate its first Boundless Playground in the Coan Park community,” said DPRCA Commissioner, Dianne Harnell Cohen. “This is a cutting edge accomplishment for the City because we are committed to ensuring that there are opportunities for all children to have access to full participation in recreational play regardless of their ability levels. This playground is for any and every child looking to have fun with old and new friends in a positive and safe environment.”
The Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs (DPRCA) partnered with the Atlanta Public Schools (APS), Park Pride, the Boundless Playgrounds ® organization, the Kirkwood and Edgewood communities, as well as a host of generous donors and supporters for this unique concept. The project, which includes playground equipment, landscaping and benches, was funded by DPRCA and donors.
“DPRCA continues to raise the bar on improving and maintaining all of our parks and greenspaces,” said Mayor Franklin. “The transformation at Coan Park is remarkable and will allow recreational activities to be available to every child regardless of their physical abilities.”
Boundless Playgrounds is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides leadership to help communities create extraordinary playgrounds where children, with and without disabilities, can develop essential life skills as they learn together through play. More than 100 Boundless™ playgrounds are now open in over 20 states, the District of Columbia and Canada and dozens more are currently in development. Boundless Playgrounds, based in Connecticut, was founded in 1997 by a passionate team of parents and professionals.
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For more information about this and services of the City of Atlanta visit our website at www.atlantaga.gov or watch City Channel 26