The Trust for Public Land (TPL) this month launched “ParkScore,” a fun, interactive new website that compares and ranks the parks in any one of 40 of America’s largest cities. For city planners, there is a section devoted to improving your ParkScore by locating underserved neighborhoods and identifying the best locations to invest in new park improvements. TPL is a... Read More »
Heading out to the ol’ ballgame just got a lot more fun for young Oakland A’s fans and their parents. Earlier this spring, the A’s asked Ross Recreation to help them remodel their Fun Zone on the Coliseum’s mezzanine section with a new play area featuring a customized Landscape Structures playstructure. Ross was there this weekend at the Ribbon Cutting,... Read More »
As we launch our new website, I thought I would kick things off by addressing a simple question: “Why Ross?” When I meet with a prospective client, I’m often asked “What makes Ross Recreation different from others in your industry and why should I work with you?” As a consumer myself, I’m always interested in what sets products or services... Read More »
The City of San Jose goes the extra mile when it comes to creating truly inclusive play environments for children of all abilities. Adopting design standards pioneered by Landscape Structures called Universally Accessible Play (UAP), the City’s Parks and Recreation commission requested staff in 2010 to go beyond existing Federal access standards to provide enhanced social and creative play opportunities... Read More »
Steve King, my friend and business colleague for 27 years (and fishing buddy for 20) will be honored this month by Shane’s Inspiration. Steve co-founded Landscape Structures in 1971 with Barb, his late wife, and is widely credited with having created the concept of continuous play in modern children’s playgrounds, a concept that has led to the component linked modern... Read More »
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has issued updated safety standards for public playgrounds: ASTM F 1487-11 for children age 2-12; and ASTM F 2373-11 for children age 6 months 23 months. Notable changes to the standards are the requirement for barriers on stairways above 48″ (instead of handrails), the addition of guidelines for multiple-user to-fro swings, increased requirements... Read More »
Occasionally we are fortunate enough to work with a truly remarkable group of school parents and community volunteers. Such was the case with the Heather School PTA in San Carlos, located 25 miles south of San Francisco. After interviewing equipment vendors and visiting nearby playgrounds, the PTA chose Ross Recreation Equipment to design the school’s new playground, sited high above... Read More »
I’ve noticed more articles on a theme that resonates with me personally and professionally: people are finding increasingly that modern playgrounds lack challenge and are potentially “too safe”. Last year, the New York Times published a widely circulated article titled “Can a Playground Be Too Safe?”. The article cites important studies that show children need to encounter risks and overcome... Read More »
An energetic group of city planners, landscape architects, and park maintenance professionals gathered this week at San Jose’s City Hall to attend a seminar sponsored by Ross Recreation Equipment Company and conducted by Landscape Structures’ Inclusive Play Specialist, John McConkey. Over the past 10 years, John has played a lead role in developing design theory and practical solutions for outdoor Inclusive... Read More »
Landscape Structures’ ability to personalize a park site is in full display at the City & County of San Francisco’s newest playground at Cabrillo Park in the outer Richmond District. The park is named for the famous Portuguese explorer, the first to navigate the coast of present day California in 1542. Jasmine Kaw, landscape architect with the City & County of... Read More »
Occasionally, we work on a school or neighborhood project that seems to embody the essence of what we hope to achieve at Ross Recreation: build strong personal relationships that endure; create something lasting and positive; and enhance a spirit of community. Such was the case with Maria Ching and her PTA Committee at Vallejo Mill Elementary School in Fremont, California.... Read More »
This week, I asked one of our Ross team members, Jon Bawden, to share his experience with a truly special playground project that our company was fortunate enough to have been involved with. Here, in Jon’s own words, is the story of Athan Downs Playground. ~ Ewing Philbin “Why do we get up each morning and do what we do... Read More »
When I meet with cities and schools to discuss play equipment, I try to initiate a conversation about “the ownership proposition.” What do I mean by that? I mean the shared vision of what owning play equipment should look like over the life of the installation, not simply the initial purchase price. Isn’t that really the measure of performance? How long will... Read More »
One of my all time favorite Landscape Structures playgrounds was finally replaced with new LSI equipment this month after over 25 years. The Bille Park playground in Paradise, California (in the Sierra foothills near Chico) had served the surrounding communities with its venerable redwood and aluminum core structural components. Landscape Structures’ old “Alumacore” playsystem was a testament to sustainability, durability and fine design... Read More »
Along with 350 other representatives from more than 30 countries, I flew to Minneapolis last month to attend Landscape Structures’ annual meeting. This was my 28th meeting and the 38th anniversary of Ross Recreation Equipment Company’s partnership with Landscape Structures! Steve King introduced us to an array of new products including “Pulse,” a sensor-activated electronic playground game that makes kids... Read More »
With the arrival of the New Year, many of us resolve to increase our physical fitness and overall well being. We seek a variety of ways to achieve our well intentioned goals, but the traditional springboard for many remains the indoor gym. I don’t know about you, but my days in the gym are gradually giving way to healthy outdoor... Read More »
I have been selling play equipment for thirty years and I love every day of it. I took a moment to look back at some of the projects that really stood out over the past year and the cool aspects of my job. Dolores Park, San Francisco: watching hundreds of kids swarming the new playground on an old site renovated... Read More »
Ross Recreation hosted a playground maintenance seminar for over 100 professionals from 25 San Francisco Bay Area park departments and school districts. The seminar, held at the City of San Ramon’s Central Park Community Center, was conducted by Tim Barrett of Landscape Structures and Jon Bawden, Ewing Philbin, Alex Hailey and Rebecca Whitten from Ross. Topics ranged from protective surfacing... Read More »
I am a Sonoma County guy and proud of it. Bonney and I have lived here for over thirty years, raised our three children here, located our business here, and take pride in its unique beauty, agricultural heritage, wonderful communities, and commitment to kids. And recently, county leaders adopted an ambitious, but achievable goal of being the healthiest county in... Read More »
Last weekend, Landscape Structures attended the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Annual Meeting & Expo in Phoenix, and came home with an award that we’re excited to share with you. Landscape Structures’ booth space, themed Designed with Play in Mind, was voted by the attending Landscape Architects as Best in Show. The booth featured the PlayBooster Vibe with nature-inspired... Read More »