The big finale for Design Day took place at Thomas Jefferson Middle School on Thursday evening. Families, faculty and staff from Valpo schools, community members, and all those involved in the project came to the school to celebrate at the Big ValPLAYso Reveal Party.
2014 marks the 20th anniversary of when ValPLAYso was first built in 1994. Leathers and Associates, a company which specializes in custom-designed, community-centered playgrounds was chosen to help the community build this park using the ideas and thoughts of the local children.
And this time, it's the next generation that gets to create the new ValPLAYso.
The purpose of the Reveal Party was to make the new park design public. Earlier in the day, students from schools all over Valpo voiced their ideas that were then brought into the hands of Leathers and Associates. And for the duration of the day they put pencil to paper, immersing themselves in the kids' ideas.
A design took shape. This takes the new ValPLAYso one step closer to reality.
So later in the evening at TJMS, everyone gathered in the school's cafeteria to see the creative designs that the students developed. The papers that held all of the ideas and designs covered the tables and the kids excitedly searched for their own papers so that they could show them off to friends and family.
Nifty t-shirts were sold by the Design Day Committee as a way to raise funds and commemorate the beginning of this great project.
Kevin Kosek, Co-Chair for the Design Day Committee and Children's Committee stood along side Monica Decker (fellow Co-Chair) was making sure everyone was getting shirts and answering any questions that arose.
"We couldn't be happier about this," Kosek said. "Valpo Community Schools opened their doors to us and we worked hard. At first Monica and I were nervous, but there was absolutely no need to be. Everyone came around this project and we are looking forward to what's coming in the future."
Kaye Frataccia, an important piece to the ValPlayso puzzle was amidst the crowd, excitedly chatting with everyone.
"This has been amazing," she exclaimed. "We made sure that we didn't leave any of the students out and I feel good about all that has taken place. I can't thank the schools and volunteers enough for their help and generosity. This is already shaping up to be a great community event!"
Her husband and superintendent of Portage Township Schools, Dr. Ric Frataccia watched as the excitement grew and as kids and families filled the cafeteria.
"I was shocked at how wonderful it was 20 years ago," Dr. Frataccia reminisced about the previous ValPLAYso build. "And I'm shocked now. I'm proud of Kaye and the community that came together for this. The committee that is putting this on has worked countless hours to get things done."
The revealing ceremony took place in the gymnasium that connected to the cafeteria, and when everyone was settled in the bleachers and kids littered the gym floor, Mayor Jon Costas welcomed everyone.
Following the Mayor's warm welcome, John Seibert of the Valpo Parks Department thanked everyone on behalf of the Department. After Committees were recognized and and the project was explained, Jane Lewis Holman, the Leathers Designer that created the design for the future park spoke.
"I do what the experts tell me; my clients who are twelve and under," she said to the crowd.
A slide show presentation was given to bring out further explanation of the park's rebuild. Then the slide that everyone had been waiting for appeared. The schematic for the new ValPLAYso was shown. Holman let everyone know that this design was a rough draft and things could change on it, but this was the direction that she was hoping to take.
A few of the fun things that are going to be included in the new park are a volcano and a lava slide, a mini planetarium, an omni spinner, a tree fort, a Viking ship, a fire truck and a rocket. All of these things will be fun structures for the kids to play on. The park will be made accessible to those with special needs, parents with strollers, and anyone wishing to play. The design will provide easy visibility for parents who want to watch their kids, and all of the equipment will be made from recycled materials.
The kids sat wide-eyed and grinning as Holman explained all of the fun aspects to them. This is going to be an awesome park – all because of the kids!
The event came to a close after that and everyone left with a spring in their steps. We can't wait to come out and play on the new ValPLAYso!
Click here to see photos from the party!
Click here to visit the ValPLAYso Park Facebook page! And for more information on the project and how to get involved call 219-462-5144 or visit the Valparaiso Parks Foundation website.
ValPLAYso – The Next Generation! Is a project of the Valparaiso Parks Foundation, a 501c3 entity. The project is funded through public and private partnerships and receives no tax-payer funding.