Chula Vista unveils accessible playground structure
The play structure at Chula Vista’s Veterans Park, destroyed in late 2020 by a fire set by vandals, has been restored and rebuilt in a more inclusive form. The city built a new structure using GT Wave from GameTime, an inclusive net climber. It allows children who use wheelchairs to access the structure via a transfer platform and path leading to a slide. Wheelchair users can play with friends on the net climber. Most playground structures are built around “post and deck,” which provides a single path of play for the user. Net climbers allow users to create their own path of play, which helps them develop their own risk assessment, decision making, and body coordination. Chula Vista is the first city in the nation to install such a structure. Total cost of the equipment (structure, surfacing and swings) was $120,000, funded by the insurance claim and Measure P, the city’s half-cent sales tax for infrastructure needs. Veterans Park is at 785 E. Palomar St.