The Town of Niverville has recently added an extra dash of fun and whimsy to Hespeler Park. The nearly $400,000 play park is situated immediately next to the splash pad and provides a variety of interactive activities.
A whimsical element of the play park is the mini-village, which includes iconic structures reflecting those of the community’s past. Here kids will find a schoolhouse, a grain elevator, a chicken hatchery, and a market café.
At the centre of the village stands the Odyssey Tower, a multi-level play tower with slides, climbing ropes, and viewing windows at the top which overlook the entire park. The tower was custom-designed to reflect the original grain elevator which has become a visual icon for the community.
“We used inspiration from old town photos and the grain elevator is iconic to Niverville, of course,” says CAO Eric King. “We had the architect provide conceptual [drawings] and we just gave them some direction.”
Set to open in early September, the park will also include a swing set and an Oodle Swing, a multi-person swing which encourages cooperation and imagination. As well, the Oodle Swing can be used by mobility-challenged children and has been shown to provide excellent developmental benefits for kids with autism.
To encourage inclusivity, much of the surfacing of the park is done in concrete or engineered wood fiber. Nearby, the changerooms and washrooms at the splash pad have been recently outfitted with push-button wheelchair access.
“This design addressed many aspects we were looking at with a new playground,” says King. “Accessibility was a major factor, and there are a number of play options that are inclusive.”
King adds that children with mobility concerns will find many interactive things to do at the mini-village from the ground level.
The total estimated cost of the project comes to $384,000. Federal and provincial grants were received to the tune of $174,000 for this project.
