El Paso County breaks ground on new all-abilities playground
EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso County was set to break ground on a new playground that will give Borderland kids off all ages and abilities the opportunity to do what they do best, have fun and play in a welcoming environment.
The county, along with Moms on Board -- a local community group -- partnered up to create these new playgrounds. The groundbreaking will take place at Ascarate Park on Wednesday.
Adrianne Moody, co-founder of Moms on Board, said the park will help eliminate some of the challenges that kids with mental or physical disabilities may face when heading to a regular playground.
The park will have unitary surfacing for kids who are in wheelchairs to get around as well as sensory tunnels where kids can play by themselves. Areas of motion like swings and slides will also be modified..
"You hear all these different stories of why it's important for someone that has a brother that has cerebral palsy, or someone that has autism," Moody said. "Just little things that we take for granted like swinging, the sense of motion, the stairs that we climb up so quickly are so just challenges that a lot of people face that this playground, with simple with simple fixes, allows everyone to play together."
The project took about three years to get this project going. Moody said after facing lots of obstacles, she's excited to finally see the project come to fruition.
"It wasn't just MOB that did it, it was our sponsors, it was a community members, it was words of encouragement from local support groups that can benefit most from this playground. And so it literally took the whole community to make this happen. And that's what makes me emotional is that everyone was involved in making it happen."
And it's not just Ascarate Park that will be getting one of these playgrounds. Gallegos Park in Canutillo and Risinger Park in Fabens will soon have them too.
