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Families and advocates say new John Bernard Park falls short of ‘all abilities’ claim
Summary
Public commenters at Dallas City Council’s Nov. 17 meeting said the recently opened John Bernard Park is not fully accessible to children with certain disabilities and that the park’s publicity and staff report omitted key community contributors; speakers urged simple fixes such as ADA swings and further outreach.
Public commenters at the Dallas City Council meeting on Nov. 17 said the city’s newly opened John Bernard Park does not meet expectations for an “all abilities” playground and asked city leaders to make changes so children with a range of physical and sensory needs can use it.
Isabel Strauss, a Dallas resident, told the council the Polk County Itemizer’s Nov. 12 coverage and the city’s staff report omitted Josh Kibbe’s role in the park’s history and failed to fully honor the Bernard family. “This shows a huge disrespect to Mr. Bernard’s family, Colleen, Mike, and Josh Kibbe,” Strauss said.
Several family members and advocates followed, describing gaps between the park’s branding and the on-the-ground equipment. A woman who identified herself as Mandy and spoke about her grandson Joey said the playground is “deceiving” and “insulting and hurtful” to families who advocated and raised funds for adaptive equipment; she presented documents, including a March 30, 2022 receipt for $34,160, that she said related to fundraising and program involvement.
Lynn Storm, who said he is Joey’s grandfather and a Dallas resident, said the park’s design neglected parts of the community and urged the city to pursue outreach and financial adjustments so children like Joey can use play structures. Erin Hampton, representing the Oregon Resource Family Alliance (not a Dallas resident), asked the city to adopt simple, low-cost fixes — “put in an ADA swing” or a tire swing — so foster families and children with special needs can recreate alongside other families.
City leaders did not take any formal action on the park design at the meeting. Staff later said they plan to refer park-facility reservation and related policy questions to the parks advisory board for broader review; the advisory board is expected to meet in December and could return recommendations to council in January ahead of next spring’s reservation season.
The public-comment speakers urged the council to reconcile the park’s publicity and naming with the equipment provided and to consider targeted changes that would increase accessibility for children with a spectrum of needs.
