- Inclusive playground opens in Fond du Lac at Playmore Park.
- The playground is only about three miles from an inclusive playground in North Fond du Lac.
- The playground accommodates children with physical and cognitive disabilities.
A new kind of park is opening in Fond du Lac, one that will allow all children to join in the fun — including those with physical and cognitive disabilities.
“This is an entire city block here. You know, this is going to be impactful for the entire Fond Du Lac community,” said Mike Phelan, CEO of Burke Playground Equipment.
Phelan said their company tried to make the playground friendly for children who have sensory issues, with a smaller, cozy space away from the main play area.
The playground also has features for children with physical disabilities like ramps wide enough for wheelchairs to pass through, and swings that those who lack lower body strength can use.
Fond du Lac Public Works Director Paul Devries said the playground cost about $1 million dollars and was paid for primarily by ARPA funds and a grant from the DNR.
“We have a wide variety of kids in the community and surrounding and, you know, a lot of playgrounds, if you remember them growing up, they were not able to be used by everybody and I think that's what's important,” Devries said.
This playground is only about three miles from an inclusive playground in the village of North Fond du Lac — which was recently named as one of the 10 best inclusive school playgrounds in America by Soliant Health. But Phelan said you can never have too many of these accessible playgrounds.
“I don't think for a community the size of Fond du Lac having two playgrounds that are universally accessible is too many,” Phelan said.
Burke is an international playground company but is based in Fond du Lac — making this a special project for many of its more than 250 employees.
“For that project in Singapore or California or Florida, you know, you're making all the pieces but then you pack it up and you ship it off and you don't really get to experience it necessarily as much,” Phelan said. “But right here, you know, our employees are going to be able to experience this with their families.”
