The City of Campbell’s grand vision has been to provide recreation and learning opportunities to a large part of the population previously underserved and set out to create an all-inclusive play area within the mature John D Morgan Park. The City engaged the PRC and established an Ad Hoc subcommittee to lead the design process. Community engagement was integral in developing the park site through several workshops and lead to the ‘Play in the Trees’ theme and play features.
The existing site was well established but working within the existing forested site and underground root systems required an adept team to keep the project moving in a timely efficient process. The site also included underground utilities within easements that were protected in place during construction but required a team effort from manufacturer to installer to avoid field conflicts. The playground amenities allow users of all levels to play side by side without barriers and the introduction of a picture exchange communication board (PECS) for non verbal park users. This may be the first installation of a PECS board in a public park in northern California.
American Public Works Association (APWA) 2022 Honor Awards Recipient (Env/Parks < $2 M)
