Future park designs will aim to attract all ages

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

Hoping to make everyone feel like a kid again, Key West city officials will develop new park policies that ensure new or redesigned recreation areas include facilities aimed at all ages.

City Commissioners recently voted 6-1 to work with state Department of Health consultants to develop multi-generational standards that would be applied when any local park undergoes renovation or redesign. The idea is to install features in a park that will appeal to children, teens, adults and seniors. Pointing out that approximately 68 percent of Monroe County residents are older than the usual park demographic, state health and education consultant Gayle Glover urged commissioners to consider everyone, not just kids, when renovating or building new local parks.

“The [Key West] parks don’t offer a lot for [seniors]. If they don’t want to get in a swing or spin on a merry-go-round, there’s not too much for them to do there,” Glover said.

For a park to qualify as multi-generational, it would include exercise equipment – both aerobic and muscle building – water fountains, relaxation stations and be accessible by disabled citizens, as well as the usual swings and other child-friendly play areas. Glover said she was not recommending that all Key West parks be immediately redesigned because of the cost involved.

“But what we would like to see is when a park comes up for redesign, that… you put some features in that park that will interest people of all ages,” she said.

Commissioners voted 6-1 to approve the resolution, which supports the development of city policies and regulations that incorporate the state’s multi-generational recreation standards. No parks, including the Truman Waterfront Park, which is under construction, were specifically mentioned. However, Commissioner Clayton Lopez pointed out that the recently redesigned Nelson English Park in Bahama Village would qualify as multi-generational because it has swings, a basketball court and work-out area.

“It’s wonderful,” he said about the park.

Commissioner Margaret Romero was the lone vote against the resolution, even though she said she is one of the senior citizens the resolution is aimed at. While “it’s a nice goal to have,” forcing city staff to include the state’s eight minimum recreation components in any park redesign may be too constricting, she said.

“I’m wondering does this put too many restrictions and our engineers and design folks? Not all of our parks will be big enough to have all of those things as minimum components,” Romero said.

Glover responded that the state’s goal is not to have multi-generational parks everywhere “but to have enough throughout the city that no matter where you live, you would have [park] access nearby.”

Commissioner Billy Wardlow pointed out that Cozumel Park, which is nearing the completion of its redesign, will qualify as multi-generational because it will have a walking track for all ages plus a water feature for children to play in. And Commissioner Jimmy Weekley said that it would be good for local seniors to be able to sit comfortably in a park just to watch children playing.

“I agree this is long overdue for the city,” he said about including the multi-generational recreation standards in city policy. “We have an aging population so we have to be cognizant of that fact.”

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