Ross Recreation recently helped the City of Redwood City create an interactive art exhibition at Andrew Spinas Park. Earlier this year, The City of Redwood City announced the launch of a unique public art partnership with Fung Collaboratives to debut three works of functional art in October sponsored by Redwood City Parks and Arts Foundation. The City of Redwood City commissioned emerging artist Michael Koliner to... Read More »
Earlier this month, Ross Recreation held a playground maintenance seminar at the City of San Jose’s Willow Glen Community Center for over one hundred and thirty maintenance professionals from cities and Bay Area school districts. Our featured speaker was Tim Barrett of Landscape Structures, who gave an in-depth discussion on playground regulations, inspection priorities and systems development, retrofitting older play... Read More »
A Splashpad or spray park is a zero-depth aquatic solution that takes its cue from nature by combining the sensations of different water movements – flowing, misting, jetting – to create a multi-generational play adventure.
Surface America offers a variety of colorful sports and playground surfacing products, including PlayBound Poured-In-Place and UltraTile® Play. Made from recycled rubber, these eco-friendly rubberized flooring surfaces and products provide safe, resilient and low-maintenance surfacing solutions, while adhering to the strictest Federal safety and accessibility requirements. PlayBound poured-in-place has virtually unlimited design and color possibilities, offering safe play surfaces that are... Read More »
ForeverLawn is the industry leader in artificial grass quality and design. From their Playground Grass™ for artificial turf playgrounds to their K9Grass® for dog parks, ForeverLawn products are engineered to meet the specific needs of a variety of projects. ForeverLawn created the first ASTM 1292 safety–rated grass system with Playground Grass, the only artificial grass with XStatic™ antistatic technology and the first to... Read More »
Last week, ASLA’s Northern California Chapter invited Ross Recreation to speak at a South Bay subcommittee evening event that focused on how to create unique and universally accessible play environments, playgrounds that are both inclusive and, at the same time, present a unique community story. We invited John McConkey of Landscape Structures to join us because of John’s many years... Read More »
The new splashpad at San Jose’s Park Kiely Apartments is up and running for kids and parents alike. Using repurposed water from the new spashpad, the beautiful landscaping at the apartment complex is regularly irrigated after being captured in holding tanks and then recycled after being sprayed on the splashpad. To start the design process, Vortex designers first assessed the... Read More »
In the past, I’ve written extensively about the cost and environmental benefits of retrofitting older Landscape Structures playstructures. Compared to replacement, a playstructure retrofit saves both money and landfill space. It also dramatically changes the ownership proposition for play equipment, an important fiscal and environmental consideration for cash strapped school districts and park departments. Here at Ross Recreation we are... Read More »
The power of inclusivity on the playground is what helps bring children together, building great communities. By incorporating different play elements, children of all abilities can experience the same enjoyment during their play time. As Ross Recreation continues to promote inclusivity, the power of play and how best to design inclusive play spaces, our sales team has developed a few... Read More »
Ross Recreation is excited to announce that the first Netplex in California has been installed! The lucky school to lay claim to the first Netplex is Sand Hill School in Palo Alto. Sand Hill School is part of Children’s Health Council (CHC), a unique organization dedicated to children with ADHD and inattention, Autism Spectrum Disorder, learning challenges and anxiety and... Read More »
We are proud to be a part of the City of Sunnyvale’s recent revitalization of its Murphy Avenue historic district. The goal of this 76,000 sq. ft. streetscape project was to reorganize the street to better accommodate increased pedestrian traffic, outdoor restaurant seating, and civic events. This was accomplished by installing decorative pavers in the roadway, colored concrete sidewalks, and... Read More »
More and more, our neighborhood parks are playing a central role in our community activities and social lives. July is Park & Recreation month, a perfect time to get out and visit these neighborhood treasures and reflect on parks’ significance in our daily lives. After home, school, and church, where do many of us likely spend most of our time?... Read More »
Last week, Ross Recreation Staff traveled to Sunridge Park in Rancho Cordova near Sacramento to see our newest Vortex Splashpad, and to get in-depth product training from Kevin Spence, Vortex’ lead systems’ engineer and Western Regional manager. Present with Kevin at the training were Judy Ogburn, Tara Bartosch, Alex Hailey, Casey Hilbert, Bob Hanes, Ross’ Vortex- certified Construction Manager, and... Read More »
As Autism Awareness Month draws to a close we at Ross are able to really reflect on the importance of inclusive play and the value it brings to our communities. At Ross Recreation we are committed to helping create play spaces that include children of all abilities and provide accessibility and education for special needs and disabled children. Over the... Read More »
This past winter, our Construction Services group really showed their stuff. Working closely with the Emerald Fund property management team, Ross Recreation’s Bob Hanes and Landscape Structures’ Engineering Department devised a creative way to build an exciting rooftop play space for Rincon Green, one of San Francisco’s new sustainably constructed downtown apartment communities. Located in the South of Market area,... Read More »
This month I had the opportunity to meet with teachers and staff at Visicacion Valley School in San Francisco to discuss playground safety. Ross Recreation, lead by our Construction Services Manager, Bob Hanes, had successfully renovated the school’s play area and the San Francisco Unified School District was anxious to have a safe and successful start when the new playground... Read More »
Over the years, I’ve come to notice the positive changes new playgrounds can often exert on neighborhoods. Parks that were once either underutilized, or the centers of violent or illegal activities, are transformed into places where families gather and children play. The benefits of this kind of transformation can be enormous: crime decreases, property values increase, local businesses often thrive,... Read More »
At Ross Recreation, we’re often reminded of our company mission: building and enriching our communities. This week, I had a personal tour of a special project in Alameda, CA that we were fortunate enough to have been involved with four years ago called Shinsei Gardens, an affordable housing community that houses a large number of our military veterans, some of... Read More »
When I travel to Portland to visit family and our Ross Oregon office, I’m always astounded at the number of small parks that feature splashpads. With Oregon’s reputation for cool, wet weather, it is a bit counterintuitive, but there the splashpads are; and particularly in summer when school is out and the weather warm and sunny (mostly), the splashpads are... Read More »
Building long-term relationships is the centerpiece of our Mission Statement and what we do at Ross Recreation Equipment Company. I was reminded of this recently here in Sonoma County when I was invited to Penngrove Elementary School’s playground grand opening. Parents, teachers, Petaluma businesses, PG&E (a substantial donor) and other community members had joined forces to raise funds and dedicate... Read More »
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