On October 25, Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris gave Irvine city $2.8 million as state funding to be used for developing a universal playground inside Sweet Shade Neighborhood Park.
Implementing the universal playground will come at the heels of renovating the Sweet Shade Ability Center, which was done in 2019 for providing residents with a hub for disability services that’s more accessible.
The aforesaid playground is set to be a first for the city, and will include multigenerational play components, as well as adaptive access activities aimed at supporting people with disabilities. There will be a sensory garden and an adaptive swing, and the playground will be accessible via wheelchair.
The presentation of the funds was done at a ceremony whose attendees included Council Member Anthony Kuo and Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan. The latter, during her comments, thanked Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris, saying the addition of the playground shows the diversity of the city, and added that her main focus is bringing the top degree of services to residents.
“Ensuring Irvine is an inclusive city that offers all residents access to equitable services and opportunities is a top priority for me and the City Council,” Khan said. “The universal playground will be the first of its kind in Irvine and will support our existing efforts to provide services for individuals with sensory, physical, or cognitive disabilities, and their family members. I am grateful for the support from Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris for this partnership in providing this remarkable resource.”
Petrie-Norris resonated with Khan’s gratitude while speaking of the earmarked funding.
“I’m so proud to have secured $2.8 million in the California state budget to renovate Sweet Shade Park in the Westpark neighborhood of Irvine, to be inclusive of all abilities,” said Cottie Petrie-Norris. “The new STEM and outer space theme will provide exciting interactive sensory learning for special needs individuals, and I can’t wait to see kids come together to enjoy this phenomenal resource in our community.”
Sweet Shade Neighborhood Park is placed on close to eight acres of land that is near Westpark. The universal playground’s construction will start in spring, and completion is expected to happen in 2024.
Though this is Irvine’s first universal playground, the city has received numerous accolades relating to its park space. June saw the city’s park space garner the national eighth rank on the Trust For Public Land’s ParkScore Index, and nearly a fifth of the space in the city was dedicated to parks.
