Happy New Year! At Ross Recreation, we are thrilled to kick off the year with exciting projects and ventures planned for 2024. Having celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2023, a milestone we are incredibly proud of, we look forward to continuing our legacy in Northern California and Oregon by creating spaces where communities can growContinue Reading

Angular and sculptural, Landscape Structures Quantis® A.2 beckons kids ages 5 to 12 with its open format playscape and intriguing challenges that defy expectations. Here you’ll find dynamic play packaged in a compact geometric design that’s perfect for pocket parks or any small footprint area. A strategic belt bridge creates universal access by connecting twoContinue Reading

Landscape Structures Quantis® A.3 combines several types of dynamic play activities in its compact design. A solid-rung climbing experience is found in one arch of the climber, while those that want more of a challenge can use the flexible cable and belt climber found in the other arch. Additionally, there is a cable and rungContinue Reading

On Saturday November 8th, Napa citizens gathered to watch as Napa’s mayor presented keys to the City to 91 year old Jim Roberts, who was about to lead his 68th playground construction project with his Kiwanis Club volunteers, this time at historic downtown Fuller Park. Later, the revitalized playground was dedicated and re-named Jim RobertsContinue Reading

At Ross Recreation, we think a lot about what our brand promises, both to longtime customers and to new customers alike. More recently, we can thank one of our longtime customers, the City of Rohnert Park, for providing testimony to what we strive to do, the quality of our products and the way we doContinue Reading

In the past, we have been proud to work with The Trust For Public Land (TPL), a national non-profit with a wonderful mission.  In addition to playgrounds, TPL has lead the charge promoting the concept of urban “fitness zones”, a low-cost alternative to expensive gym memberships for low income families and adults.  I have writtenContinue Reading

One of my earliest meetings in 2017 was at Oak Avenue Elementary School in Los Altos, California, to discuss the expansion and enhancement of the existing kindergarten playground. Oak Avenue remains a special place for me because it was one of my earliest experiences organizing a parent volunteer group for the installation over a singleContinue Reading

At their annual awards gala, the Sierra Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects gave Stantec Architecture their Honor Award for outstanding design work on Rancho Cordova’s exciting new Hillside Park.  Ross Recreation is proud to have contributed Landscape Structures play equipment and a Classic Recreation shade structure to this extraordinary project.  We also installedContinue Reading

Thursday was officially proclaimed Jim Roberts Day by the City of Napa as a full house at the Elks Club packed the halls to celebrate Jim’s 90th birthday and his lifetime of service to children and community. Family, friends and colleagues gathered to hear of Jim’s numerous contributions to the well-being of young people, especiallyContinue Reading

As a part of our partnership with Landscape Structures and Too Small to Fail, Ross Recreation was thrilled to participate in launching the first public early literacy playground in Oakland at Willie Wilkins Park. Ross Recreation installed this playground in East Oakland in 2010 where it has served the surrounding community ever since. The toddlerContinue Reading

Recently, Casey Hilbert, Ross Recreation’s Central Coast sales representative, was asked to take on a challenging project in Soledad, California, and developed creative solutions, on time and on budget. At Santa Elena Cooperative Housing in Soledad, Pacific Gas & Electric Company wanted to relocate an existing playground because the site was over a large utility line.Continue Reading

People often ask me “What’s new in your industry?”  Increasingly, our customers, especially city and county park departments, are asking for playground designs that are unique, not a cookie-cutter “one size fits all” approach.  This can mean either a themed design (for example, agriculture, nature, frontier life) or something that speaks to local identity, historyContinue Reading

Here at Ross Recreation, we often speak of the “Ross Difference”.  Recently, Casey Hilbert, Ross Recreation’s South Coast sales representative helped organize a volunteer installation with Graves Elementary School, a small, forty student rural school with kindergarten through eight grade located outside Salinas, California.   Casey helped the school design a full retrofit to theContinue Reading

The community of Hialeah, Florida, wanted to create a playground that promoted outdoor adventure. They got what they wished for with this custom, nature-inspired PlayBooster® Netplex™. Recycled Wood-Grain Panels and a woodsy color scheme fit right into the landscape.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Wizard of Oz-custom themed playground! The playground design is a literary dream as it tells the story of L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” from Auntie Em and Uncle Henry’s Kansas farm to the poppy field, Emerald City and Dorothy’s attempt to get home via hot airContinue Reading

Beard Park delivers a nature-inspired play experience to visitors ages 5 to 12. Multiple playground areas offer opportunities for kids to interact with natural looking equipment. From a custom log tunnel slide to Log Steppers, Log Balance Beam and The Pointe™ rock climber, the PlayBooster® play structure designs provide a unique play experience to allContinue Reading

Central Park of Maple Grove is home to some of the most innovative playground equipment in Minnesota. This unique playground design is made up of mostly customized pieces including a tower play structure with stacked tunnel slides, a net climber that resembles a crab trap, and rocks sculpted from concrete positioned around an Aeronet™ climber.

People often ask what trends are happening in our industry. Looking back at 2015, I see four things, shifts in the marketplace that will persist and likely grow in the coming New Year. UNIQUE PLAYGROUND DESIGN Often nature-inspired, many of our playground designs are now driven by communities that wish to define what is historic or unique aboutContinue Reading