GLOVER, Vt. (WCAX) – One town is ensuring that everyone has a place to play by creating an accessible playground for Vermonters of all ages and abilities.
From a distance, the playground in Glover looks like any other. But come closer, and you’ll see the slide is built into the earth.
“I really like the slides. Those are super fun because I can do them with my sisters,” said Gordon.
Luna Gordon and her sisters race down the ramps, fly across a zipline, climb a rock wall, and bike across a pump track at All People’s Park.
“With the regular playground, there would be one structure, maybe two. But you could, like, walk around here and there’s, like, a pavilion and a covered bridge, which is really nice. And it’s just got a lot of different places, you know. So like, down every trail, there’s something cool,” she said.
That’s exactly how Jethro Hayman with Glover Equity wanted it to be.
The group, along with the town’s trails committee, created the play area this summer with part of a nearly $200,000 grant.
It’s designed with all Glover residents in mind.
“We really are encouraging everyone to put their hands on things, touch things, build things, and play with things and scramble on things,” said Hayman.
The team collaborated with local advocacy groups and a school for kids with autism to understand what people want and are missing in playgrounds.
That inspired sensory zones throughout the play area, like a sandbox, herb garden, and music zone.
Hayman says it’s attracted residents from all corners of Glover and even out-of-staters for unhindered play.
“What we’ve discovered, and it’s truly delightful to discover it, is that when you make a park for those folks that are not necessarily able to enjoy a typical park, that it actually is a better experience for everyone involved,” said Hayman.
Hayman says the town hopes to eventually replace the next-door gravel pit with more play zones.
