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Resident urges more accessible play equipment; parks director says ADA features being added as projects move forward
Summary
A longtime Augusta nurse and grandmother urged the commission to add adaptive swings and other features for children with disabilities. Parks staff said future and in-progress improvements will include ADA and adaptive amenities where feasible.
At the Public Services Committee the commission heard from Consuela Harmon, a resident and nurse with decades of experience caring for people with disabilities, who urged more inclusive playgrounds and adaptive swings for the special-needs population.
Harmon, who said she has lived in Augusta more than 30 years, told commissioners many families have nowhere accessible to take children using wheelchairs and asked whether underutilized parks could be repurposed or retrofitted. “A lot of times when we take them out to parks, they're just sitting there in their wheelchairs,” Harmon said.
Parks deputy director Williams responded that accessibility and adaptive amenities are part of the standards the department is applying to current and new projects. Williams said the parks team will incorporate more ADA-compliant and adaptive swings and equipment as sites are improved or built. “As we are moving forward with improving our parks, because there is some need for more accessibility and adaptive to special needs...those are some of the amenities and things that we could actually add to the facility,” Williams said.
Why it matters: Commissioners acknowledged the appeal and suggested staff follow up with Harmon to discuss specific locations and possible budget pathways. The committee received the public comment as information.
