By Meritte Dahl
Murphy News Service
The Michael Dowling School in North Minneapolis is moving forward with its plan to add 1 acre of playground space that will be accessible for students of all abilities.
Students and staff from the Dowling School and Minneapolis Public Schools tried out the new wheelchair-accessible swing set and played instruments in the outdoor music area Tuesday, Oct. 21 to celebrate the completion of the first phase of construction. Phase one included grading and drainage of the site and the completion of the first two play areas.
The $500,000 project will bring the playground up to Americans With Disabilities Act standards, said Dowling Principal Joe Rossow.
As a former Dowling teacher, Rossow said he noticed that the former play area made it difficult for some students to play. Fourteen percent of Dowling’s students have special needs, he said.
A climbing dome, zip line, sensory garden with local flora and fauna, and an outdoor classroom are some of the features that will be added during the second phase of construction.
“It gives all students a chance to play together,” said Dowling community liaison Valerie Ausland. “Special ed kids next to regular ed kids.”
“Dowling does a wonderful job of inclusion,” MPS Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson said. “This is a natural next step.”
Flagship Recreation’s designs incorporate the playground’s history, lead designer Charlie Calvin said. New additions to the playground will be built alongside a multilevel structure made of concrete, wood and steel that was constructed in the late 1970s.
“We were able to involve the staff, students, community and local businesses,” Calvin said.
Dowling students submitted hundreds of drawings and written descriptions of playground equipment that Flagship Recreation used a starting off point for their designs.
“We took [the students’] conceptual ideas and refined them and implemented them in a safe way,” Calvin said.
Flagship Recreation’s designs intend to help special needs children with development, cognitive, physical and health disabilities by creating an experience that promotes socialization and accommodates mobility issues.
Most of the funding for the playground came from private donation, Rossow said. About 30 percent of the project’s cost was funded by the district and was used for infrastructure costs including electrical and asphalt, he said.
Ten percent of the funding came from fundraising efforts and the Viragh Family Foundation donated 60 percent of the funding, Rossow said.
“I wanted to give these kids a place to really play,” said Viragh Family Foundation Chairwoman Amanda Viragh.
The playground’s expected completion date is the start of the next school year.
The playground will also be a resource for the community, Rossow said. “The park is not just for Dowling.”
Meritte Dahl is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.