Mission...Playpark in SoWal!!

As one who was born in the area and spent summers at the beach, usually in Grayton, my heart hurts at what has happened to "our" beach...I try not to think of it too much, and do everything I can to preserve what's left.

We got some rain tonite, so that is good.

We met with Cindy Meadows and Parks and Recreation last week and things are moving ahead. The county is working on a layout for the new 10 acres at Helen McCall. They are trying to figure out how to fit the playground and football/soccer fields on the land. The next meeting with them is June 7th. Before that meeting, I think it would be a good idea for us to all meet up at the playground site and do some thinking and visualizing about how we'd like to see things laid out. There are a lot of nice trees on the part of the 10 acres that will be used for the playground. How about if we all meet at Helen McCall on Monday the 21st at 10am? Everyone that has an opinion is welcome to give one!

That is a whole lot fit on a property that is approximately 360' wide by 1300''. A buffer space is likely to be required on both east/west sides as well. Practically speaking you must consider how much land will be chewed up by access dirves and drainage requirements. Most importantly has anyone even considered the how much space will be required for parking requirements? Currently some people feel it is acceptable to park on the private property next door when ball games and practices are being played across the street. You will also need handicapped access and public restrooms. Maybe some of that can be placed on the east side of Moll Dr.? There are a lot of considerations.....

That is a whole lot fit on a property that is approximately 360' wide by 1300''. A buffer space is likely to be required on both east/west sides as well. Practically speaking you must consider how much land will be chewed up by access dirves and drainage requirements. Most importantly has anyone even considered the how much space will be required for parking requirements? Currently some people feel it is acceptable to park on the private property next door when ball games and practices are being played across the street. You will also need handicapped access and public restrooms. Maybe some of that can be placed on the east side of Moll Dr.? There are a lot of considerations.....

All of your concerns have been addressed and discussed. Since there are several groups that will share this space, maxing it out correctly is obviously going to have to happen. When we looked at the property Monday, we discussed parking, restrooms (even family restrooms), the buffer space of tree line, where and how diferent components could go, etc. From what I understand, the actual measuring and drawing will be done by people who know how to do that.

Keep watching this thread for the next meeting info and please come and see what has been accomplished and make your suggestions about what you would like to see. The biggest consideration of all is that SoWal does not have a decent public place to play or gather, and this group is making that happen.

The biggest consideration of all is that SoWal does not have a decent public place to play or gather, and this group is making that happen.

Agreed. I would like to see it better than decent.

I will try to make the next meeting. June 7th?

Agreed. I would like to see it better than decent.

I will try to make the next meeting. June 7th?

I think the June 7th meeting will be with Cindy Meadows and a few people to firm up some plans. SGB could explain more I am sure. Once there have a better plan of the lot (with trees ditches, etc drawn in), then I think we will be meeting again in a larger group. Watch this space for a date and time.

Hi All,
I have been wanting to submit some photos of the playpark that we go to when I am visiting Trussville, AL for consideration and ideas or have we passed that process already?

Who should I send the photos to, Cindy Meadows?

I think the June 7th meeting will be with Cindy Meadows and a few people to firm up some plans. SGB could explain more I am sure. Once there have a better plan of the lot (with trees ditches, etc drawn in), then I think we will be meeting again in a larger group. Watch this space for a date and time.

It's so grayt to see so many people interested in the playpark! We have to tell you that Cindy Meadows and the Parks and Recreation people have been wonderful so far and very receptive to our input. They have included parking, rest rooms and even a community center type of building.

As jdarg mentioned, the June 7th meeting is with a few representatives (Supermom, Beachmom, myself, and an architect mom) and Cindy and Parks and Rec. Parks and Recs has been working on a layout that they will show us at the June 7th meeting. We will try and get a copy of this layout to share with everyone else at another meeting that we will set up via sowal.com. The drawing that they show us is not final by any means, so we have a chance to make changes.

In addition to the playground, we are trying to impress upon Parks and Recs the need for a swimming pool in our area. Our wish is a pool that is competition sized so that we can have lots of swim lessons and swim teams. It is yet to be determined if the county has the space and/or the money for the pool, especially a competition sized pool. My personal feeling is that we need to hold out for the competition sized pool so that it will fulfill all the needs of the area. A much smaller pool would really limit its use. After checking out the big pool over at Frank Brown park, I would love to have one like that. (Although I think we won't be able to get the kids' pool that Frank Brown has.) Anyone have any opinions about getting a pool in the area (many of you suggested the pool in another thread or in this one) and the required size?

If anyone has photos of parks that they love, probably the best way to get them to us is to put them in the photo gallery on this site so that we can all see them.

Thanks everyone!

to everyone who is helping to make this happen! Awesome work you're doing on behalf of everyone who loves/visits/lives in SoWal.

I am sorry I missed the meeting on the 21st. I want to get involved again, I guess I dropped the ball. I would like to see a pool here. It really can be hard to find swim lessons without going out of the county or going to a private pool....

I am sorry I missed the meeting on the 21st. I want to get involved again, I guess I dropped the ball. I would like to see a pool here. It really can be hard to find swim lessons without going out of the county or going to a private pool....

Which is why my kids haven't had lessons yet.

In addition to the playground, we are trying to impress upon Parks and Recs the need for a swimming pool in our area. Our wish is a pool that is competition sized so that we can have lots of swim lessons and swim teams. It is yet to be determined if the county has the space and/or the money for the pool, especially a competition sized pool. My personal feeling is that we need to hold out for the competition sized pool so that it will fulfill all the needs of the area. A much smaller pool would really limit its use. After checking out the big pool over at Frank Brown park, I would love to have one like that. (Although I think we won't be able to get the kids' pool that Frank Brown has.) Anyone have any opinions about getting a pool in the area (many of you suggested the pool in another thread or in this one) and the required size?

While it would be nice to have a long course meters set-up (50 meter long pool) you can run a perfectly nice comprehensive swim team program with a six lane, 25 yard long pool. (you don't want fewer lanes than that because it limits your ability to hold dual meets)

A deep end with a diving area would be nice, but new diving boards are pretty much uninsurable these days unless it's a school or univeristy pool. So instead of an L or T-shaped pool with a diving area, go with an L-shaped will with a 25 yard x 6 or 8 lane set-up with water depth of 3'6" at one end, and about 6-7' (or whatever the minimum is for competitive diving blocks these days) at the deeper end as the main body of the pool, with the small part of the pool being a shallow/zero entry kids area with some spray areas for the kids to play in.

If you've got a little bit left in the budget, you can install a small waterslide that ends in the deeper part of the kids area. (For whatever reason, they're much easier to get insurance for than the diving boards are)

If anyone has photos of parks that they love, probably the best way to get them to us is to put them in the photo gallery on this site so that we can all see them.

Thanks everyone!

Thanks so much SGB! I attended the meeting in April with the commissioners showing support for the playpark, did I meet you?
I have given the photos to one of the Moms you mentioned via email and I posted some in the photo gallery so everyone can view. Good luck at the meeting on June 7th and I hope you guys come up with something GREAT for our community !!

While it would be nice to have a long course meters set-up (50 meter long pool) you can run a perfectly nice comprehensive swim team program with a six lane, 25 yard long pool. (you don't want fewer lanes than that because it limits your ability to hold dual meets)

A deep end with a diving area would be nice, but new diving boards are pretty much uninsurable these days unless it's a school or univeristy pool. So instead of an L or T-shaped pool with a diving area, go with an L-shaped will with a 25 yard x 6 or 8 lane set-up with water depth of 3'6" at one end, and about 6-7' (or whatever the minimum is for competitive diving blocks these days) at the deeper end as the main body of the pool, with the small part of the pool being a shallow/zero entry kids area with some spray areas for the kids to play in.

If you've got a little bit left in the budget, you can install a small waterslide that ends in the deeper part of the kids area. (For whatever reason, they're much easier to get insurance for than the diving boards are)

I was a competitive swimmer for 10 years on summer, winter (during school year), and high school teams (until I ran out of joints to damage), so I've seen/swam in quite a few pools. Here's my 2 cents:

I highly recommend a 25 yard x 8 lane setup with a separate kiddie pool and/or diving well.
-50 is too long for the littlest kids as it forces all relay and IM events to be 200 long and all individual events to be 50.
-8 lanes means more room for practices and gives you the option of having an adult lap lane or 2 during practice times. Meets take forever w/only 6 lanes. Each kid typically swims 2 individual and 2 relay events in every dual meet.
-A separate wading/kiddie pool allows kids to cool off during a long swim meet, keeps kiddie/diaper debris out of the main pool & keeps waves/big kids away from little ones. It also allows you to build in stages.
-Unless you have a diving team, a board is a constant pain, maintenence issue, and liability. If I had a dollar for everytime we weren't supposed to be on it or a coach yelled at us for improper use I could donate the locker rooms.
- A slide is fun, but expensive. Our mayor inaugurated our new pool by donning an old fashioned bathing costume and sliding down!

I really have to get a picture of Parkwood pool next time I'm out there. They've got pretty much an ideal set-up for a small town community pool. 8 lanes/25 yards, and then a shallow L to one side.

If money was no object, I'd say copy the Ft. Lauderdale aquatic complex:



Two seperate 50M x 25 yard pools, plus a 25x20 yard diving well with eight different competition springboards and a 10 meter diving tower, plus a small, shallow, warm teaching pool to the south of the diving well. Go a block east of there, and you're at the beach where they finish up open water races.

My college team used to go down there to train after Christmas every year, and I loved nearly every painful moment.

What's the latest?

Funny you should ask. Yesterday we met with Commissioner Cecilia Jones. When we last met with Cindy Meadows, we were told that there was money to complete the first phase of the Helen McCall project, which the playpark was a key component of that phase. Last month we met at the new gorgeous Hammock Bay park with engineers from Preble Rish and we looked at that equipment and discussed what we liked for our park. We were still under the impression that the money was still there for the playpark.

Imagine our surprise when we were told in yesterday's meeting that there is only about $47K left to buy playground equipment. Even more surprising was finding out that the county is currently working on a new "public" park in the Driftwood neighborhood, to the tune of about $160,000, a gift from Cindy Meadows. Like anyone will ever use that park besides Driftwood residents, and we would love to know where that money came from---like maybe it should have gone to Helen McCall first?

Commissioner Jones was very understanding of our frustration, and we will be meeting soon with Ronnie Bell and others to figure out what we are going to do. However, it is going to be hard to find money right now.

do the financial records not show what happened to the money?

did it go to Driftwood?

Commissioner Jones was very understanding of our frustration, and we will be meeting soon with Ronnie Bell and others to figure out what we are going to do. However, it is going to be hard to find money right now.

Let us know how this meeting goes. Admittedly, I haven't read this whole thread (9 pages? ), but I have been under the impression that the Helen McCall playpark was a done deal, just taking a while.

Maybe raise a stink about this in the Sun paper? That usually seems to chap the county's hide. Seriously though, if funding was available and now seems to be redirected to Driftwood of somewhere "private" (less public), well that gets me a little P.O.'ed!

Also, can someone more involved with this tell me if a volunteer type program would work for building this park? I know the project is on county property, so that may make things difficult. I guess what I'm saying is - I'm a woodworker/builder, I know there are many builders, designers, landscapers, etc. on this forum. If we have to build the D*** thing ourselves, then I bet we can pull it off! Not to give away any secrets , but it really doesn't cost as much to build this stuff (not as much as it costs the county to build it ).

Sorry if this has already been discussed here. Somebody please let me know if
this could be built by volunteers.

We are still trying to figure out what exactly is going on- how is this Driftwood park being built before the playpark at Helen McCall??? For over 2 years, our group has been working on this project, with Cindy Meadows- attending meetings with engineers, workshops, planning sessions- a lot of work and some money has already been spent. We never heard anything about a park in Driftwood. I have asked several friends who are regular BCC attendees if they remember any discussion about a park/playground at Driftwood, and nobody can recall anything. We do have $132k which is earmarked for paths, restrooms, and pavilions. It is the playground equipment money that is coming up suddenly way short.

The $160K figure for the Driftwood park comes from Andy (don't know his last name) who was in our meeting yesterday. I believe he works under Ronnie Bell. He made a phone call while we were in the meeting to confirm this figure.

Regarding volunteers- thanks for the offer, but we are planning on ordering the high-tech super safe manufactured playground equipment, which most likely will require professional installation for liability reasons. We may be able to use volunteers for landscaping, sand spreading, etc- I will check on that.

We are still trying to figure out what exactly is going on- how is this Driftwood park being built before the playpark at Helen McCall??? For over 2 years, our group has been working on this project, with Cindy Meadows- attending meetings with engineers, workshops, planning sessions- a lot of work and some money has already been spent. We never heard anything about a park in Driftwood.

Wow, Driftwood Park. That sure is a blast from the past. If I remember correctly, that park area was set aside as part of the original Adams Homes/Olsen buildout plan way back when. I remember seeing it in the marketing materials of the project at least 5-6 years or so ago and inquiring about it from the real estate people. They told me it was to be developed as a public park, not a community park so that it would be for everyone. Due to its location, I never thought it would actually get to far off the ground. Interesting stuff JDarg.

Regarding volunteers- thanks for the offer, but we are planning on ordering the high-tech super safe manufactured playground equipment, which most likely will require professional installation for liability reasons. We may be able to use volunteers for landscaping, sand spreading, etc- I will check on that.

Sounds like you might not be able to afford it anymore.

Lumber and building materials are pretty cheap right now (and will be for a while it seems) ....

Have you ever seen the play structure at Watercolor - not that big of a deal for a few volunteer builders over a few weekends and evenings.

I'll admit I know nothing about the liability issues. I'm kind of "old-timey", so I think it's ridiculous that this is such a problem, but - I know, I know.....

Anyway, there's people here with the tools, heavy equipment, and know-how that would volunteer for the "right effort" - just so you know. Don't spend all your money in planning, though. We can look at it too. (Preble-Rish for a playground, pavilion and bathrooms? ) Also remember things can be added to and uprgaded later.

Lastly, are there any other links to your effort (this project). I don't expect you to explain the whole thing to me! I may read these 9 pages later, but don't have that kind of time right now.

The Beach Breeze has a front page article about the latest playpark news- things are moving right along! Pick up your copy today for the whole story!

Kudos to Leah Stratmann of the Breeze for sorting out the spaghetti mess of background to write this story.

Cecilia Jones is quoted as wanting the park open by April 2010- the equipment will be similar to Hammock Bay, which is pretty sweet. The park will also have parking and restrooms! From start to finish will be a little over 3 years, but it's really going to happen!

When moms want something for their kids AND community, look out!

Congratulations to all who have worked so hard and long on this project. It is going to add so much to our community.

Congratulations to all who have worked so hard and long on this project. It is going to add so much to our community.

On to the pool!

This is really good news - community in action, eh?! I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Tangent - This was the very first Sowal thread I ever posted to (see post #138). I was very inspired by all of you, your commitment to improving your community, and it made me more determined than ever to move here.