Ross Recreation

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New Chapter for this Historic Sonoma Plaza

This month, volunteer Sonoma Rotarians teamed up with the town of Sonoma and Ross Recreation Equipment to upgrade and refresh a popular Landscape Structures play structure on the historic Sonoma Plaza.  The plaza, a traditional town square and a source of regional pride for more than a century and a half, was the place where early settlers staged the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846, and is now a well visited tourist destination.  In 1997, with partial funding from the Sonoma Valley Women’s Club and design support by Ross Recreation, two Landscape Structures play structures were installed at the Plaza.  Last summer, the Sonoma Rotary Club contacted us about expanding and redesigning the preschool aged appropriate play structure, adding a new swing set and installing an accessible and inclusive sand and water table.  Ross Recreation developed design options, and a new play area plan was approved by the town of Sonoma.  The new playground equipment was successfully installed early this month by Rotary volunteers, with assistance from factory-certified installers supplied by Ross Recreation.  The new play equipment is a huge hit with visitors and local families, and blends well with the wooded setting of the old town square.

Sonoma Plaza - Before
Sonoma Plaza – Before

Sonoma Plaza - After
Sonoma Plaza – After

Sonoma Plaza - After
Sonoma Plaza – After

Designing Splashpads for Inclusive Play – Webinar

Want to learn more about inclusive splashpad design? Register now for Vortex’s upcoming informational webinar on practical tips to make sure your current or future Splashpad® is successfully designed with access and inclusive participation in mind.

This session will cover:

  • The value of Splashpads in communities
  • Inclusive Play concepts
  • Sensory processing and Splashpads
  • How to achieve a universal design
  • ADA requirements

Join us on September 24th at 2:00 pm ET

Click here to register today!

Monte Rio School Makes Fitness A Priority

The Monte Rio School District in Sonoma County, California, is taking physical fitness seriously. Over the past three years, Monte Rio School has built a fun, fitness-driven Landscape Structures playground, and this summer installed an outdoor fitness course on campus that will serve the needs of the students and the greater community when school is not in session.

This commitment to student fitness comes at a time when new research underscores the many long-term benefits of regular exercise for kids, things such as:

  • More energy
  • Better sleep at night
  • Better self esteem
  • Improved concentration and readiness to learn at school
  • Reduced stress
  • Better attitude about life

The new fitness circuit was designed and installed by Ross Recreation and features Landscape Structures’ Fitcore and Healthbeat exercise stations. Monkey bars and individual stations for push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups round out the outdoor exercise course making this area ready to keep kids fit and active for years to come.
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Sources

American Heart Association, “5 Ways That Play Can Change Your Day”;

U.S. National Library of Medicine, “Exercise For Children”.

Going Strong – Providing Decades of Play Value

Recently, the City of Santa Clara contacted Ross Recreation about the availability of replacement parts for two ancient Landscape Structures playgrounds: one at Carmichael Park and one at Rotary Park, both nearly thirty years old and according to the City, “Going strong”!  The old redwood playground equipment was officially discontinued by Landscape Structures in the late eighties, but parts for these – and other older Landscape Structures playgrounds – remain available. This is what we at Ross Recreation feel is an important part of what we call “the ownership proposition” for playground equipment: adding value long after the initial sale.

George “Rocky” Graham Park is Now Open!

On July 11th, the community of Marin City joined together to celebrate the grand opening of their new George “Rocky” Graham Park. Ross Recreation, along with many other organizations involved in the design and construction of the park, were on hand to join the local residents in the celebration. After several years of planning, it was wonderful to see the community so excited and enjoying their new space. Included in the design is Landscape Structures’ Nature Inspired play equipment and a new gazebo for the amphitheater area supplied by Classic Recreation. Seeing all of the excited faces playing and enjoying themselves was a wonderful reward at the end of this signature project.

To learn more about this incredible project, read the Marin Independent Journal’s article on the grand opening!

To visit a playground near you, check out Landscape Structures Inc.’s new Visit a Playground map!

A Winner in Harsh Marine Environments

It’s no coincidence that many Landscape Structures play structures are found near the northern California and Oregon coast. Landscape Structures play equipment is the ideal choice for durability and longevity in harsh-on-metal marine environments because of the materials and finishes used in fabrication. 5” diameter vertical posts and beams are made of highly rust resistant aluminum, are primed with industrial grade powdercoat before the finish coat and carry an industry leading 100 year structural warranty. Hardware is made of tamperproof stainless steel and to ensure optimal performance, Landscape Structures subjects these materials to thousands of hours of salt spray and ultraviolet light testing at the factory. It’s no wonder that dozens of these structures have been installed – and are going strong after decades – in big coastal cities like San Francisco, and smaller seaside communities along the California coast like Monterey, Santa Cruz, Fort Bragg and Arcata and along Oregon’s coastline in Cannon Beach and Astoria.

Visit Landscape Structure’s Materials Matters page for more information about their products durability and quality!

Grass Without Limits

At Ross Recreation, we don’t take on new product lines lightly nor frequently, but when we do, it is for the long-term.  It is important that we are closely aligned with our manufacturing partners when it comes to quality expectations, innovative progress, life costing and customer support capabilities.  With that in mind, we are proud and excited about our recent partnership with ForeverLawn, a manufacturer of durable, high quality artificial grass surfacing.  With Ross Recreation’s factory-certified installers, we are primed and ready to provide turnkey solutions for all synthetic grass projects – from playgrounds to sports fields, to dog parks and recreational spaces.  With our partnership with ForeverLawn, we are proud to announce two recent PlayGround Grass installations in Northern California: Sacred Heart School in Salinas and the Carmel Valley Youth Center.

Surfacing Testimonial:

“Casey, 

I can’t thank you enough for our new backyard. Where once was dirt, concrete, and patches of abused lawn, we now have a durable, practical and beautiful combination of rubberize playground surface and artificial turf. Plus, it even has our logo in the middle! Everyone who has seen our new backyard is impressed with the dramatic improvement. Our staff loves it, our Board of Directors love it. Parents and other longtime community supporters love it. But most important, the kids at our youth center couldn’t be happier. Finally, they have a backyard that feels like every inch can be played on. And we finally have a backyard that is such a fine example of functional beauty that we can’t wait to show it off to visitors.

Thank you to all of you at Ross Recreation Equipment.

Sincerely,
Ernest “E” Griffin-Ortiz
Executive Director
Carmel Youth Center”

For more information about ForeverLawn and their products, visit their website!

Sheridan Elementary School Playground Safety Seminar

This month, Ross Recreation had the privilege of being a part of Sheridan Elementary School‘s safety seminar in San Francisco, CA! Playground safety seminars are an excellent way to get the students familiar with how each component is meant to be used, as well as a great opportunity to have the kids spend some time outside! We want to thank Simon Reyes, District Architect – San Francisco Unified School District, and Sheridan Elementary School for allowing us to attend their seminar!

If you are interested in having a Safety Seminar at your Landscape Structures Inc. playground, contact us today!

To see a previous Safety Seminar we’ve conducted, check out our What’s New post on Visitacion Valley School in San Francisco, CA!

“Natural Play” – What’s it all Mean?

Much is written today about the desirability of “natural” play environments and I suspect that that is because of well founded concern that children are spending less and less time outdoors exploring the natural world.  This unfortunate trend was well documented in the now famous 2005 book by Richard Louv called Last Child in the Woods, in which the author coins the term “Nature Deficit Disorder“, a condition leading to a host of undesirable behavioral problems in people, but especially in children.

What exactly is a “Natural Playground”?  If you do a Google search on the subject, you are treated to a host of images showing tree stumps, mounds and rocks, all placed strategically by well meaning designers.  But don’t these man made attempts to mimic nature merely compound the original problem of kids not having regular access to the hills, fields, and woods that children used to play in and learn from?

Beyond that, in our regulated and litigious world, these stumps and rocks often times don’t meet minimum government standards for safety and/or accessibility.  Additionally, over time, these natural materials degrade and break down quickly, straining tight maintenance and capital budgets.

With these factors to consider, it begs the question, how does one combine the best of nature playgrounds, with their organic look and feel, with manufactured equipment that promises long-lasting durability, fitness-focused components and compliance to safety and ADA standards?

Our partner, Landscape Structures, has done an outstanding job addressing all these seemingly disparate requirements with their “nature inspired” play grounds.  Using concrete forms made from natural rock and tree structures and various recycled materials along with nature themed designs and components, the result is a natural aesthetic offering a robust variety of fantasy and social play, physically challenging components that carry superior warranties and features that satisfy key risk management requirements.  Are these play spaces entirely natural?  No, but they are not intended to be, but rather inspired by nature for today’s modern play environments.

Building a Fitness-Focused Playground in Phases

Over time, the Loyola School PTA in Los Altos, California has gradually built a fitness-focused playground for their Upper Grade students. Constructed in phases spanning 10 years, the final phase features a new Netplex structure that complements existing fitness components. The initial equipment consisted mainly of monkey bars, overhead ladders, rings, and balance components and was designed by Ross Recreation and Landscape Structures Inc. to be built in phases as funding allowed. The new Netplex was installed this month and consists of a tower-like complex of cables that provide climbing, as well as social play opportunities. The new structure is functionally linked to the older Landscape Structures Inc. equipment to provide a circuit for kids.

The new Upper Grade playground joins other play areas at Loyola School with Landscape Structures Inc. play equipment, some over 20 years old and still going strong!

“I want to thank you and your team for the highly professional jobs that were completed during the week of Spring Break. Our window was shortened due to weather but your company was still able to complete the projects on time and leave the jobsites spotless. Your team was sensitive to the neighbors and the LASD staff which creates less stumbling blocks when I am planning for future projects. They also showed a high level of responsiveness which is greatly appreciated. I enjoyed working with all of you.” – Marlene Shafran, Maintenance & Operations Director, Los Altos School District

The Value in Maintenance

This month Ross Recreation hosted a complimentary Landscape Structures’ Learning Academy Maintenance Seminar in Sacramento, CA.  With close to one hundred in attendance, the session included industry insight and hands-on information and techniques on playground repairs, risk management and graffiti removal techniques.  The seminar put a focus on the importance of proper and consistent maintenance and safety work for those individuals who are responsible for installing and maintaining park and recreational facilities.  At Ross Recreation, we pride ourselves on being a solution based company and being an extension of our customers out in the field.  We look forward to continually providing industry insight through seminars to our Northern California and Oregon territories.

To submit seminar topics of interest, contact us today!

Greater & Greener 2015

City Parks Alliance and San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department present this year’s Greater & Greener 2015: Innovative Park, Vibrant Cities.  The Greater & Greener conference is a “leading international conference for urban park leaders, city planning and design professionals, public officials and innovators to explore the issues, challenges, and opportunities facing today’s urban parks”.  With statistics projecting that 66% of the world’s population will reside in urban environments by 2050, the discussion points presented at Greater & Greener could not be more relevant.  Along with the over 1,000 attendees, our valued partners, Landscape Structures Inc. and DuMor Inc., will also be participating in the conference.

The Greater & Greener 2015 conference will be taking placed in April, 11th – 14th, in San Francisco, CA.   We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information, visit the Greater & Greener website!

Monoliths of the Playground

Sometimes inspiration can come from the world around us. Landscape Structures Inc. newest play features, the Canyon Collection™, were molded from the Gneiss Outcrops in Granite Falls, Minnesota. This design process provided incredible realism, which translated into playground components that challenge and can bring kids closer to nature. With four rock formations to choose from, the combinations can transform any play area into an adventure playground.

To learn more about the Canyon Collection™, visit Landscape Structure Inc. website!

If you would like to see example of natural playgrounds we have done, visit our Featured Projects page!

 

Helping Communities Build Playgrounds is Our Specialty

A small site and a challenging budget doesn’t always mean that an exciting new playground is out of reach. Ask Catina Haugen, principal at Grant Elementary School in Petaluma. After an initial site visit, we explained to Catina how we could create an exciting but affordable new playground for her kindergarteners. By relying on parent volunteers, Catina was able to save thousands on labor costs that could go towards more fun play equipment. Ross Recreation staff helped organize the volunteer build, and provided the parent crew with a factory-certified installer, Dave Williams, for the day.

“Wow! What an awesome experience. The entire crew agreed that ALL projects should come with a “Dave.” He was great. We started at 8 (Dave on site around 7:30) and were cleaning up at noon.” – Catina Haugen

Volunteer builds are our specialty. Over 40 years, in fact, we have done hundreds of them. Volunteer installations build community and stretch budgets. To learn more about the benefits of community built playgrounds, click here.

Glankler Early Childhood Learning Center, Fremont USD

It’s not every day that I get a chance to have a playground tour with an expert in children’s special needs. But that’s just what happened recently when Anita Allardice, Principal and Program Director at Glankler Early Childhood Learning Center, graciously devoted part of her whirlwind morning to visit with me at her newly installed, Landscape Structures “Nature Themed” playground at Glankler, a special needs school owned and operated by the Fremont Unified School District. I wanted to learn more about Allardice’s kids, and how they use and benefit from a well designed outdoor play space.

She and her Staff explained that while most of Glankler’s students have speech and language impairments, many have autism and other types of sensory processing disorders.

“The new playground has been a huge success”, reported Allardice. “Ross Recreation was able to work with our very tight timeline” The new playground – including the rubberized safety surfacing and trike track – was built in 45 days from time of order.

The new playground’s Roller Slide was a big hit with kids, especially those with tactile system impairments, reported one of the staff. The Nature Inspired features offer different textures that stimulate the kids’ tactile systems.

In the last year, Ross Recreation has helped design and install six different special needs playgrounds, using equipment from Landscape Structures, the leader in Inclusive Play. Call us for details, or visit our Projects section.

By Ewing Philbin

Glankler Early Learning Center, Fremont, CA

Splashpad Opens in Mission District

Mission District youngsters can now take a break from the summer heat with the newly opened Mission Playground, San Francisco’s first Vortex splashpad. The new splashpad features kid-activated bubblers and fountains. More young families are making this new outdoor recreational amenity a destination visit, enlivening and enriching this Mission District neighborhood. Splashpads are accessible to everyone and offer inclusive play that connects families.

“You can hear shrieks of joy from kids a block away,” says our friend Laura, who lives in San Francisco’s Mission District. “The kids love the new splashpad.” Laughter is a welcome and happy noise in any community.

Playgrounds Coming In Different Shapes & Sizes

Cookie-cutter playsystems with posts and elevated decks are beginning to give way to new innovative designs. Since the early 1970s, playgrounds have invariably featured composite playstructures with elevated decks. And while these traditional playsystems have their place, new design trends are increasingly breaking this traditional mold, offering users an array of functionally linked net climbers, fitness clusters, and independent slides. Prime examples can be found (and played on) at newly opened Helen Diller Playground at San Francisco’s beautiful Mission Dolores Park and Calabazas Park in San Jose. Both of these exciting new playgrounds offer different textures, enhanced play value, and a new approach to inclusiveness with most play events at ground level. New school playgrounds, like Eleanor Nixon School near the Stanford University campus also increasingly favor non-traditional playground design and an emphasis on fitness for kids. Personally, I love these fresh, exciting new trends because they offer children greater opportunities for self-directed play, and greater accessibility for kids (and adults) of all abilities.

Click here to check out a video of the Helen Diller Playground grand opening.

Helen Diller Playground at Mission Dolores Park, San Francisco
Eleanor Nixon School, Palo Alto USD
Calabazas Park, San Jose

Building Community in the Napa Valley

They say necessity is the mother of invention. In Napa, the realities of shrinking city budgets resulted in a very non-traditional alliance of municipal government, community volunteers, and “The Playground King.”

The City of Napa, with Jon Bawden of Ross Recreation, had developed plans for a major renovation of the city’s large playground at Buhman Park. With growing budget cutbacks, the City Parks Department was considering scaling back the playground plans when Jon introduced the department to Jim Roberts, former Napa Kiwanis Club president and community philanthropist, who had worked with Ross Recreation’s certified installers on dozens of volunteer community playground installations. The Parks Department decided to try this volunteer approach and the result was a resounding success for the community, the volunteers, and for city finances! Jim Roberts, his Kiwanis friends, City of Napa employees, and community volunteers came together one day to build the new playground. The event marked Jim Roberts’ 50th volunteer playground build! No wonder Jim has been nationally recognized as “The Playground King.”

Click here to read more about Landscape Structures volunteer builds in Napa from the Playground King himself, Jim Roberts.

Jon Bawden & Jim Roberts, Buhman Park

Playgrounds Aren’t Just For Kids

Someone recently sent me an AARP article – yup, I’m a grandpa. The article touted the health benefits of multi-generational play for people of all ages. Over the years, I’ve come to intuitively believe that playgrounds aren’t just for kids, but in fact can be centers of healthy living for people of all ages and abilities. When Bonney and I take our granddaughters to the playground, we often wonder who has more fun?

Increasingly, park professionals and landscape architects are specifying adult outdoor exercise equipment in city parks and community centers as a compliment to children’s playgrounds. Multi-generational play is fun and builds healthy communities!

Click here to learn more about Landscape Structures’ HealthBeat equipment, the perfect compliment to any play area.

By Ewing Philbin

Ewing & Granddaughter Brier at Rincon Ridge Park, Santa Rosa

 

On The Front Lines of School Playground Safety

Earlier this month, I got to spend time with 75 dedicated people who commit themselves on a daily basis to child safety on busy San Jose school playgrounds. Because of our long-standing relationship, the San Jose Unified School District had invited me to speak at a playground safety training with their playground supervisors. At the training, I gave an overview of playground regulations in California, and showed the supervisors what to look for when making pre-recess inspections of their schools’ play equipment and safety surfacing. We discussed the Landscape Structures unique compression clamp system, the hardware used on play structures, and the potential for wear where there are moving parts. The training was fun and informative for everyone – me included – and was consistent with Ross’ goal of staying connected to our customers.

By Ewing Philbin