Resident urges ADA-accessible swings at Maple Street Park; committee hears plan to seek city support

Lisa Shaw told the Canby Parks & Recreation advisory committee she will ask the city council to add a wheelchair-accessible swing and adaptive swings at Maple Street Park after seeing a child in a wheelchair playing at the park.

"I have been working with children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities for the last 16 years, and it is so important to me to have inclusion," Shaw said. She said her daughter recently played with a child in a wheelchair and that Maple Street Park lacks ADA-accessible equipment.

Shaw said she plans to fundraise and asked the committee to support outreach and to provide details the council might need. Committee members confirmed Maple Street Park is scheduled for upgrades and that new turf and accessible surfacing are expected to be installed in the spring, which should include ADA-accessible surfacing. Committee members advised Shaw to raise the item with the council at her upcoming appearance and offered to provide information about the planned park renovation and timing.

The request was made during the meeting’s public-comment period. The committee did not take a formal vote on installing adaptive swings but noted that planned Maple Street Park improvements this spring will include accessible surfacing and that staff will share more information with Shaw about timelines and funding options.

Shaw said she will present at the city council meeting the following day and asked the committee to consider community fundraising and whether parts of the project could be funded from SDC or capital allocations. Committee members suggested coordination with the city’s capital project list and with youth sports organizers that use the park.