Friends of Chimborazo Playground

Park Designs Updated

bridgette — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:34:16 +0000

Friends of Chimborazo Playground and members of the community met informally with the Department of Parks & Recreation and BAM Architects on July 31 to review Chimborazo Playground design revisions. The design features a main vista looking through the park from 29th Street to 31st. Ten community garden plots would line the northern alley; a sidewalk would line the southern perimeter of the park. The tall fences currently surrounding the park would be replaced with berms, lower walls and other landscape features to make the area less “penal looking.”

The group also began discussions about how the project could be broken into phases and developing a major fundraising plan.

Meeting at Chimborazo Playground

bridgette — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:51:30 +0000

The Friends of Chimborazo Playground, the petanque club, Tricycle Gardens, BAM Architects and the Richmond Department of Parks and Recreation met on Monday, June 30 at the playground to review block planning ideas. We also shared all feedback from the community posted here on this website. BAM is going to take this feedback and will work to incorporate it into the designs. The group also discussed dividing the renovation into multiple phases. The next (and last) public focus group meeting will occur in early August; we will post the date here as soon as it’s official.

Concepts from Last Focus Group Meeting

bridgette — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:24:38 +0000

At last! BAM Architects has kindly shared the conceptual renderings and diagrams presented at the last focus group meeting. Of particular interest are the “Block Planning Ideas,” which is meant to show how different areas of activity (e.g., basketball, tennis and petanque courts, community gardens, playground, and skateboard areas) can be arranged within the park. Provide your feedback (especially on the block planning) to share with BAM and the Richmond Dept of Parks and Recreation.

Architectural Renderings

Additional Resources

Helpful Websites

http://www.pps.org/parks_plazas_squares/
http://www.freeplaynetwork.org.uk/index.html
http://www.naturalplaygrounds.com/
http://www.boundlessplaygrounds.org/
http://www.childrenandnature.org/

Interesting Articles

http://www.sansehaver.dk/images/Helle%20Nebelong.pdf
http://www.slate.com/id/2190362/

Inspiration for Architectural Renderings Above

http://flickr.com/photos/rethinkingchildhood/ (has a whole collection of ‘natural’ playground photos)
http://flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=diagonal+mar+water&m=text (this search will land you lots of photos of the
water sculpture you liked which is in the massive Diagonal Mar Park by Enric Miralles in Barcelona)
http://www.pps.org/general_gifs/newsletter/sep2004/great_parks.gif (source for our “successful park” board)

Playground Pictures

bridgette — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:56:45 +0000

Some great examples of playground pictures from Dorey Park (credit: S. Noroian - thank you!) .

Friends of Chimbo Featured on WRIC News

bridgette — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:49:46 +0000

WRIC featured a story yesterday, May 5, on how police, the Parks Department and Friends of Chimborazo are working together to overcome crime and safety issues at the playground.

Focus Group Meeting Notes

bridgette — Tue, 06 May 2008 03:06:56 +0000

[Updated May 6; see blue text] The Department of Parks & Recreation held a focus group meeting at St. John’s Parish Hall to discuss the redesign of Chimborazo Playground. Approximately 25 people attended, including petanque players, parks representatives, Tricycle Gardens, and Friends of Chimborazo Playground members and community parents. This was the second of three focus group meetings; the discussion was led by BAM Architect Ann Durkin.

The total budget for the project is $250,000. Additional funds are available for park deconstruction. No FEMA funds are available from FEMA for storm damage from Gaston; these funds were used for wall construction only. More funding could be made available through grants. Mr. Pope, director of Parks & Recreation, said that some funds originally slated for individual parks renovations like Chimborazo have been redirected into the City of the Future Master Plan in response to public demand throughout the city. He also indicated that the smaller budget of $250K would mean the renovations would be made sequentially, according to some priority list. [updates in blue]

The Friends of Chimborazo Playground presented a quick overview highlighting some of the problems facing the park now, including lack of lighting, drug use, prostitution, graffiti, and other safety and health issues. We shared ideas from the community about what we’d like to see in the park, such as:

age-appropriate playground equipment for toddlers and preschoolers
water features, including water and drinking fountains
community gardens
recycling bins
bike racks
additional petanque courts
a petanque scoreboard
public art, such as sculptures and murals
and more

BAM architects then presented their ideas for the future. [Note: We will post complete presentation here as soon as it’s available.] Some of the major points covered include:

Upgrade alley that runs between 29th and 31st Streets
Demolish parkhouse
Upgrade signage
Install new lighting to address safety issues; improve usage
Create “natural playgrounds” that integrate natural elements
Add a water feature, integrate with play area
All trees will remain, and new ones will be planted

The design team then presented five different design schemes showing various methods for organizing activity zones, including:

basketball
tennis
petanque
playground
pavilion
lawn
community gardens
skateboarding

No single design was chosen over any other. The only suggestion made was to place the tennis courts and basketball at opposite ends of the playground. Others noted that costs would be high for relocating courts. The community is encouraged to review the designs online when available and provide feedback through the comments on this website.

Other points of interest:

Community gardens: 10-15 garden plots are needed, with water and truck access
Petanque courts: 5 courts total needed, with the ability to expand to 8 courts with gravel surfaces 4 meters wide for tournaments.
Basketball courts: 2 courts needed
Tennis courts: 1 court needed, with a tennis wall for solo players
Restrooms: Debatable. Restrooms present crime and maintenance issues, though they are much needed by park users. Suggestions included pay-per-use bathrooms or combination locks.
Green space: cistern to collect water from water park/play area to water community gardens. Composting toilets. Recycling bins (though collection issues exist)
Signage: direct to Libby Hill, Greater Chimborazo Park and the new dog park.

The design firm hopes to complete schematic drafts by the end of June and hold the final focus group meeting shortly afterwards.

A meeting of interested parties/groups was suggested to meet in the near future to try to come up with a consensus for a playground design using the five designs provided by BAM as guidelines. This design will be provided to BAM for their next step in the design process. If you’re interested in attending this meeting, please contact bridgette[at]imaginechimbo.org.

For more information about petanque in Chimborazo Playground, visit Les Boulefrogs of Church Hill’s website.

Imagine…

bridgette — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:28:37 +0000

What changes would you like to see at Chimborazo Playground? Send your ideas and we’ll share them at the upcoming focus group meeting on the park redesign with the Richmond Parks & Recreation Department.

Focus Group Meeting on Park Redesign

bridgette — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:26:48 +0000

The Richmond Department of Parks & Recreation will hold a focus group meeting to discuss and exchange ideas on the redesign of the Chimborazo Playground and Recreation area. The meeting will be held on Monday, May 5, 2008 at 6:30 pm in in St. John’s Parish Hall. For more information, contact Mr. Heywood Harrison, Parks Planner, Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities at 804-646-5608 or at Heywood.Harrison@richmondgov.com.

Join the Friends of Chimborazo Playground

bridgette — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:21:35 +0000

The Friends of Chimborazo Playground is a new grassroots organization seeking to improve the safety and beauty of the playground and recreation area at Chimborazo Park. We’re seeking new members and board officers. Anyone can join and membership is free.

We recently formed Friends of Chimborazo Playground to address decline and safety issues at the playground and recreational area located between North 29th and 31st Streets and East Grace Street. We regularly find discarded condoms, broken bottles and even crack bags littering the playground. Graffiti covers the jungle gym and transients regularly urinate on the storage facility. No lights at night attract criminal activity.

As individuals, we’ve worked with police and parks officials to step up patrols and clean up the park. They do what they can, but we have realized that it will require the entire community to make permanent changes in the park. That’s why we’ve formed Friends of Chimborazo Playground.

We’re inviting everyone to join and share their ideas for making the playground and recreation area a safe, beautiful place for community members of all ages to play, gather and enjoy.