I've been in contact with Leathers and Associates!!!

In March, Nicholas and I visited Kids Quest playground in Mesquite.  

It is a beautiful wooden fort-like playground just like the kind I would love to have in our town.

It was community built and many of the pieces of equipment have plaques showing community donors had purchased them.  I also found a plaque that said the playground was designed by Leathers and Associates.

I was able to get in touch with Leathers and Associates and started with complimenting the playground we saw.

Michael Cohen replied to me:

Hello Kim,
I'm glad you liked the Mesquite playground so much.
 This is one of several great playgrounds our company has designed for communities in the DFW area.
 If you didn't know, all these playgrounds were built from scratch by community volunteers, with our guidance.
 Nearby for example, are Balch Springs (built 1997) and Rowlett (1998). Newer is Imagination Station in Keller, 640 Johnson Road.
 Happy play!!

I was excited to hear back from him.  I also thought, "Oooh cool!  New playgrounds to visit!"

I replied to him and told him about my hopes for this kind of playground on the WCR tracts.  I suggested that he speak to my contacts at town hall.  I also happened to mentioned my crazy mission to visit every cool park in the DFW area!

Here's his response:

Hi Kim,

I'd better not tell you about the other 50 Leathers playgrounds within a day trip of you! But here's a map of the closest ones. 

 

I am intrigued that you have already spoken to your city council and parks board. If they back you, and have a suitable site, it could really happen. Our designs do not have to be built by community volunteers. We can work with a parks department and a local contractor just as well.

Is is safe to send you this link, I wonder, of a playground we did recently in Kansas? www.flickr.com/photos/36847838@N02/sets/72157618015135124/show  Among other things, this playground is highly accessible, with poured rubber surfacing. And it is all plastic lumber, with no wood to maintain.

We are currently speaking with folks in Coppell about re-building their Leathers playground, and I expect to be visiting there within a few weeks. Perhaps you and I can arrange to meet, along with other key people in Flower Mound? You mentioned the Parks & Rec Director, for example.

Sincerely,

Michael Cohen

Wow!  I'm so freaking excited!  Nicholas loves the Coppell park and is would be awesome to have Leathers working on a playground right here in our town!  Doing the happy dance!

Articles about Children and Nature

Check out these great links to articles about children and nature:

The Stick Has Been Inducted Into the Toy Hall of Fame!

Study Finds Access to Nature Improves Health

PALS Board Meeting, April 9, 2009

I attended the PALS Board meeting last night because one of the items on the agenda was discussion of their 5 year CIP (Capital Improvement Plan). The CIP is a plan for how funds will be used on future projects such as parks, streets, utilities, etc.

The PALS Board received a list a future projects that are being planned but they did not discuss how the CIP money would be spent on them. Instead they will review the list and discuss and prioritize funding at the following meeting on May 7th.

Tha Park Master Plan was last approved in 2001. The Park Master Plan must be updated every 7 years or else the town can not receive matching grant money from Texas Parks and Wildlife. I believe I heard last night that this amount could be as much as $500,000. Needless to say, the town will be working up updating and approving the Park Master Plan. I'm interested in keeping up on this progress because some of this money could potentially go towards the developments on the WCR tracts.

I've heard that a lot of the WCR tracts are to be developed with 4B money. I'd like to know more about 4B funds and how they are scheduled to be used.

I learned that the clean up for the WCR tracts will cost about $300,000 which is money coming from the 2007-2008 budget.

The phase 1 of the design for the WCR tracts will likely be performed by Dunaway and Associates and will hopefully begin soon.

WCR Tract Clean Up Begins

The clean-up project on the Wilson, Carmel, Ruff tracts will begin today and last roughly 30 days. The attached image illustrates the park property work zone for the contractor.

The contractor's work hours are:
Mondays - Fridays: 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Saturdays: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

He will be removing all of the former residential structures, storage buildings, trash, etc. over roughly the next 30 days.

Also, there is a PALS Board meeting tonight at 7:00. There is nothing on the agenda about the WCR tracts but I did notice that they will be discussing their 5 year budget. I plan to attend to hear how the WCR tracts fit into the plan.

Nature Is Essential For The Brain

Check out this article by Jonah Lehrer published in the Boston Globe, January 02, 2009.

How The City Hurts Your Brain...And What You Can Do About It

Parks and Recreation Director's Report

Parks and Recreation Division
Director's Report
March 2009

Park Development

Wilson/Carmel/Ruff Master Plan - Phase I is currently scheduled to include the entry drive with parking, entry monument signage, duck pond, small pavilion, amphitheater with restrooms and grass seating for 1500 persons, inclusive accessible playground, interpretive nature signage, picnic pavillion, additional landscaping and soft surface foot trails, and an eight foot wide concrete multi-use trail connection east-west to both established athletic park areas. Phase I plans and specifications are tentatively scheduled to be completed by September 2009.

Cleanup of Wilson/Carmel/Ruff tracts and western portions of Bakersfield Park - the Town Council awarded the contract for the abatement, demolition, and site cleanup on March 2. Work should begin in March and be completed by the end of April.

Examples of Educational Stations

Here are some pictures that I've taken on various trips to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. There is a boardwalk there that is a real delight to walk. It is filled with educational stations about animals, birds, and plant life. These are exactly what I envision the town using the $5,000 grant money on for the playground on the WCR tract. They are colorful and interactive and a great way for kids to learn about their environment.

This station has buttons that you can press to hear a bird's song. Try to guess the bird and then lift the flap to find the answer!



This station defines an insect then shows picture of various insects, spiders, and worms. You guess whether the picture is of an insect and lift the flap to see if you are correct.



This station has flaps with pictures of an animals track. You lift the flap to learn the name and see a picture of that animal.



This station is flap with a picture of a bird nest and a sample egg underneath the picure. The person tries to guess what type of bird the nest and egg belongs to. The answer is under the flap and consists of the name of the bird but also a picture.



The Log Hotel has cut outs in a manufactured tree. Children can peek into the holes and see various critters that might live in an old tree stump.

PALS Board Meeting, January 8, 2009

Notes from the PALS Board Meeting Minutes, January 8, 2009:

Review and discuss the PALS Board Priority List of Goals and Projects approved at the May 8, 2008, PALS Board meeting.

Sue Compton provided a spreadsheet created by the PALS Board at the May meeting. During the May meeting the PALS Board members ranked each item by priority. Sue’s spreadsheet gave a status of where the PALS Board are with their projects. She also had a list of projects to recommend sending to the Town Council at their annual retreat that says these are the priorities the PALS Board would like the Council’s support on. She said the first item that was not on the original list was the Comprehensive Parks Master Plan update.

Jack Jones explained the Comprehensive Parks Master Plan was a staff goal. The Parks and Recreation Master Plan had not been updated since 2000. Parks and Recreation should have a comprehensive plan updated every five to seven years in order to apply for grants. A consultant would have to be paid to come in and sit with staff and evaluate what the PALS Board has. There may be the need for community meetings, focus groups and work sessions with the PALS Board to review what the Parks and Recreation will need in addition to what they have now. He said with the PALS Board recommendation it could go to the Town Council for their retreat. The Town Council would be informed that the Master Plan is a priority so they can give direction to the PALS Board to act on it quickly.

Sue Compton said the list that was given to the PALS Board had items that fell under different categories. One was the Parks Master Plan. The other was related to the Arts in Flower Mound where the Arts Policy was already accomplished. The third one was related to the Historical Preservation in Flower Mound. Connie Vickers had addressed the PALS Board on some of the projects. The fourth category that Sue wanted to send to Town Council was the 20th anniversary of the trails system. There were a couple of other projects that are on the list that Sue, Jack or some of the Board members have been working on. Sue also provided a second attachment which was a list that she and Jack recommended to provide to the Town Council at the retreat. Sue wanted to make sure that the right priorities were given to the Town Council.

Wayne Farley did not see the Botanical Gardens or the Historical Museum he wanted on the list. Jack said anything that has already been master planned like the Wilson Tract that has the Botanical Gardens would be under the current existing plan. When it is presented publically it will be in the plan and it could have possible timelines, funding and recommendations from a consultant.

Jack Jones added an inclusive playground to the Parks Master Plan list. Item “I” was amended to say “construct an all inclusive playground similar to Kid’s Castle in Highland Village” with a note saying there has been $5000.00 in a special Parks and Recreation fund donated for that project. Jack said it can also be part of the Parks Master Plan.

Sue Compton verified that she had all the corrections or additions discussed added to her list.

The next PALS Board meeting is scheduled for February 12, 2009.