The current devices have been there for more than 25 years, are outdated and will no longer be approved. Time for a renovation of the playground on Elemastraat in Coevorden, thought Buurt- en Speeltuinvereniging Lootuinen. The plans are ambitious: a playground that is accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. Estimated cost? 350,000 euros.
It is a fairly large playground in the middle of the residential area, about the size of a football field. Half of it consists of a playing field with goals and baskets and on the other half there are about fifteen play equipment, including seesaws, (bird’s nest) swings, climbing equipment and slides. BSV Lootuinen is responsible for the maintenance of the playground.
“Take the hinges of the bird’s nest swing, for example,” points out Sandra Sakko, president of the association. “They are no longer of today, that is no longer allowed. Children can hang on to this. It is still approved for now, but it is no longer allowed next year.” And that’s the way it goes with almost all devices in the playground, she says. Because the costs of new devices or parts are so high, maintenance is difficult.
That is why a completely renovated playground is the great wish of BSV Lootuinen. The most important thing is that the playground is accessible to everyone, including the clients of the Cosis care institution and the associated Pontes daycare center, which are located right next to the playground. They regularly visit the playground with their supervisors, but not all of them can really play, because some of them are in a wheelchair, for example.
“We would be unique in the Northern Netherlands with this,” says Sakko about the plans. “We want to make everything flat and lay paths to every playground equipment. On some playground equipment, such as a kind of duo swing, you must also be able to use a wheelchair or walker. Everything must be wide enough that a wheelchair with an accompanying person can pass. That way, those children can also experience what it’s like to play in a playground.”
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