What is the North Beach playground?
The North Beach Playground, designed
by local kids and built by local
volunteers, provides
a well-designed and safe play environment for children to develop physical
skills and have fun on the shore of Lake Michigan.
The official name for the playground is Kids Cove. The name was chosen in
a citywide naming contest open to all elementary students.
Kids Cove
As the
centerpiece project for Racine's
Make A Difference Day 2003, the playground gave
everyone in the community the chance to get involved
by contributing time, ideas, labor, money, and materials.
Kids Cove followed the successful model of the popular Kids
Connection playground in
the Caledonia-Mount Pleasant Memorial Park. Completed
in 2000, the construction of Kids Connection was
supervised by Leathers
and Associates and built by
community volunteers.
Kids Connection
Bob Oertel and Stephen
Smiley formed
a steering
committee to coordinate the many facets of the
North Beach playground project.
Why build a playground?
A community-built playground provided an opportunity
for many people in the Racine area to come together
for a common purpose in a highly visible, short-term
project that will continue to be a source of community
pride. Throughout the process, from design to fundraising,
from coordination to actual building, schoolchildren,
community leaders, businesses, civic groups, and
other volunteers worked together in an example
of true community collaboration.
Where is the Kids Cove playground?
The playground is at the south end of North
Beach. This beach along Lake Michigan serves as
a site for community
and neighborhood
recreational
activities
and family outings to the lakeshore throughout the
summer. Within close proximity is the North Beach Oasis,
restrooms, picnic facilities, and ample parking.
When was the playground built?
Construction of the 20,000 square foot playground
was accomplished with volunteers from the community
using the old-fashioned barn-raising method over a
seven-day period. This coincided
with Make
A Difference Day 2003.
The exact dates were October 20-26. The photo
gallery
has pictures from each day of the build.
How much will the playground cost?
Through donations from corporations, charitable
foundations, and individuals, the North Beach Playground
Group hopes to raise $235,000. The playground itself
is estimated to cost $215,000 and $20,000 will be put
into an account for maintenance and repairs.
Who will maintain this project after it is built?
Maintenance responsibility will be shared between the
Racine
Parks Department and a "Friends of the Playground"
group. Special and preventative maintenance, such
as periodic sanding and resealing, will be coordinated
by the "Friends" group and funded by a special escrow
account.
Are there special rules for using the playground?
Once the construction is completed, groups of children will tour the equipment
and learn how to use it in appropriate ways. With awareness and cooperation,
the playground will be enjoyed by many people for a long time.
