Summit Park Receives Award of Excellence
Ohio Parks & Recreation Association (OPRA) recently announced its 2014 Annual Awards of Excellence winners, and Summit Park made the list.
Summit Park Children’s Playground received a 2014 Award of Excellence in the category of Capital Improvement Projects—up to $1.0 Million from the OPRA.
The Children’s Playground within the 130-acre park was unveiled in the Phase One Grand Opening of Summit Park in August and has been a major regional attraction. Crowds of over 200 people were common each hour every day throughout the first two months of the playground’s life. With inclusion, accessibility and innovation top of mind, this uniquely-built 1-acre playground features traversable ropes, play mounds, ADA ramps, wheelchair-friendly Pebbleflex surfacing, and extra wide slides that accommodate kids joined by parents. Special attention was given to all children no matter the ability level when designing this playground. Other features include an activity wall, seat walls with visibility for parents, along with passive and active play areas.
Other amenities currently open in the park include over three miles of multi-purpose trails, a three-acre Great Lawn, and pergolas surrounding the Great Lawn.
Phase 2 of Summit Park is well underway. The 7,000 square foot Community Building, which will serve as the heart of the park, recently attracted a Letter of Intent from the Brown Dog Café to fulfill nearly 4,000 square feet of the 1st floor. Phase Two will also consist of the iconic quarter-acre Glass Canopy that will sit next to the Community Building.
A picnic grove is also planned near the Glass Canopy to provide the perfect location for everyday usage as well as special events. The opposite end of the Great Lawn will feature the Performance Stage. The flat-work of the stage is currently under construction and set to be completed in the next few months. The stage will be the future home of national entertainers performing at the City’s annual Red, White and Blue Ash celebration, the Taste of Blue Ash, as well as other future events the park welcomes in. Phase 2 construction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2015.
Read more about Summit Park here: http://blueash.com/summitpark
