Lompoc’s Beattie Park to feature county’s largest ‘inclusive’ kids playground, plus adult fitness zone – Lompoc Record

A little more than a year after all the playground equipment was removed from Lompoc’s Beattie Park, the sprawling 50-acre green space is set for a historic overhaul that will see it become the largest park of its kind in Santa Barbara County, as well as a member of a national network of inclusive play sites.

The Lompoc City Council last month approved a contract with Great Western Installations Inc., to modernize and update the amenities at the park located off East Olive Avenue and South Fifth Street.

The nearly $740,000 project will consist of the installation of several play structures specifically designed to be accessible for children with disabilities, as well as an adult fitness zone with a mix of exercise machines and workout stations.

The work is scheduled to begin in early August, according to Lompoc Recreation Manager Mario Guerrero Jr., and could be finished as soon as early September.

“I’m super excited,” Guerrero said. “It’s gonna be the largest inclusive playground in Santa Barbara County. It’s gonna bring people of all abilities to be able to enjoy all the different equipment that’s going to be there.”

The plans for the park were developed based on the results of a two-week online survey the city offered to community members in April. That survey included two options for participants to vote on, and the option that was ultimately selected received 365 — or 57% — of the 643 total responses.

The planned amenities include two new play areas: one for children ages 2 to 5, and another for kids ages 5 to 12.

The play structures, according to a report from city staff, will include a tower that will allow for a bird’s eye view of the park, as well as an inclusive play space with ramps leading up to three height levels for accessible components. That structure will also feature a Sensory Wave Climber — considered to be the industry’s first playground climber accessible for all abilities — along with sensory panels, a roller slide and spiral tower slides.

The play area for younger children will have multiple slides and climbers, as well as an inclusive whirl — or merry-go-round — that will allow for children in mobility devices to utilize it without leaving their device.

The park will also feature an arch disc swing and other swings for various age groups.

Mayor Jenelle Osborne said she felt the new equipment would “absolutely” provide for an improved experience at the park, which already features large recreation fields, lighted basketball courts, a picnic area, an urban forest and the Lompoc Valley Fallen Warriors Memorial.

“I am especially happy we have a park that will accommodate children with mobility devices and other accessibility options to create our first inclusive playground,” she said.

The new play areas will incorporate multiple National Demonstration Site Recognitions from Playcore, a company that, according to its website, develops products, programs, and services to build healthy communities through play and recreation.

That national recognition will be highlighted with signage at the park, and the park will be included on Playcore’s online National Demonstration map. Santa Maria’s Preisker Park, which had inclusive playground equipment installed in June, is the lone other Santa Barbara County park listed on the map.

The park will also have activities for adults.

The fitness area will be outfitted with a mix of static, durable equipment, including mechanisms for strength training, cardio and a core workout.

“The additional benefit of the exercise area provides an opportunity for a no-cost workout to our residents,” Osborne said. “This option is important for so many reasons, but especially during the pandemic we have seen a need for the ability to work out outside.”

That latter point was not lost on Guerrero, who said he has seen an uptick in people exercising outdoors since the COVID-19 outbreak led to widespread shutdowns in March.

He said he was hopeful the new Beattie Park fitness zone would lead to an overall healthier community.

“That’s our plan, to try to incorporate adult fitness with the playground,” Guerrero said. “We encourage parents to bring their children out and [they will] also have an outlet for them to be active while their kids are playing.”

The park’s fitness area will become the second built in the city this year.

The renovations at Huyck Stadium, which were completed in June, also included an outdoor community exercise section. The new-look stadium hasn’t yet been opened to the public, however, due to the coronavirus crisis.

The bulk of the Beattie Park renovations, about $540,000, will be funded by the city’s Community Development Block Grant Fund. The additional $200,000 will come from the city’s park impact revenue, though city officials expect to be reimbursed for that amount by the state’s Proposition 68 fund, a $4 billion general obligation bond passed by voters in 2018 to, among other things, improve local parks.

Osborne noted that it will likely take more Prop 68 funds for Lompoc to improve some of its other 14 parks, several of which are in noticeably poor condition.

“Unfortunately, [the City] Council majority voted to utilize the additional 1% sales tax to pay the unfunded [CalPERS] liability, return three positions to the Police Department and issue a contract to the Chamber of Commerce with no funds set aside for parks or other recreational needs,” she said, referring to the sales tax increase that was approved by city voters in March.

“With additional impacts of the pandemic on sales tax, hotel tax, and Lompoc’s stagnant property taxes with few additional homes built, the city will need to depend on grants and donations to make improvements to our vast number of parks.”

Guerrero said that city staff is preparing to apply for more Prop 68 grants before the end of the year. Input from the community, he said, is “vital to our success” in securing grants.

He encouraged community members to stay up to date on the process by checking the city’s website, at cityoflompoc.com, and social media channels beginning in September. At that time, he said, the city should have more information about how it will solicit community input during this unprecedented time.

“There will probably be a lot of Zoom , surveys, etc., to try to get the community’s input,” he said. “We want to design these parks to what the community’s wants and desires are.”