Ross Recreation

What’s New

Keeping you up-to-date with industry trends and innovative project developments

What’s New

Greater & Greener 2015

City Parks Alliance and San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department present this year’s Greater & Greener 2015: Innovative Park, Vibrant Cities.  The Greater & Greener conference is a “leading international conference for urban park leaders, city planning and design professionals, public officials and innovators to explore the issues, challenges, and opportunities facing today’s urban parks”.  With statistics projecting that 66% of the world’s population will reside in urban environments by 2050, the discussion points presented at Greater & Greener could not be more relevant.  Along with the over 1,000 attendees, our valued partners, Landscape Structures Inc. and DuMor Inc., will also be participating in the conference.

The Greater & Greener 2015 conference will be taking placed in April, 11th – 14th, in San Francisco, CA.   We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information, visit the Greater & Greener website!

Monoliths of the Playground

Sometimes inspiration can come from the world around us. Landscape Structures Inc. newest play features, the Canyon Collection™, were molded from the Gneiss Outcrops in Granite Falls, Minnesota. This design process provided incredible realism, which translated into playground components that challenge and can bring kids closer to nature. With four rock formations to choose from, the combinations can transform any play area into an adventure playground.

To learn more about the Canyon Collection™, visit Landscape Structure Inc. website!

If you would like to see example of natural playgrounds we have done, visit our Featured Projects page!

 

Helping Communities Build Playgrounds is Our Specialty

A small site and a challenging budget doesn’t always mean that an exciting new playground is out of reach. Ask Catina Haugen, principal at Grant Elementary School in Petaluma. After an initial site visit, we explained to Catina how we could create an exciting but affordable new playground for her kindergarteners. By relying on parent volunteers, Catina was able to save thousands on labor costs that could go towards more fun play equipment. Ross Recreation staff helped organize the volunteer build, and provided the parent crew with a factory-certified installer, Dave Williams, for the day.

“Wow! What an awesome experience. The entire crew agreed that ALL projects should come with a “Dave.” He was great. We started at 8 (Dave on site around 7:30) and were cleaning up at noon.” – Catina Haugen

Volunteer builds are our specialty. Over 40 years, in fact, we have done hundreds of them. Volunteer installations build community and stretch budgets. To learn more about the benefits of community built playgrounds, click here.

Glankler Early Childhood Learning Center, Fremont USD

It’s not every day that I get a chance to have a playground tour with an expert in children’s special needs. But that’s just what happened recently when Anita Allardice, Principal and Program Director at Glankler Early Childhood Learning Center, graciously devoted part of her whirlwind morning to visit with me at her newly installed, Landscape Structures “Nature Themed” playground at Glankler, a special needs school owned and operated by the Fremont Unified School District. I wanted to learn more about Allardice’s kids, and how they use and benefit from a well designed outdoor play space.

She and her Staff explained that while most of Glankler’s students have speech and language impairments, many have autism and other types of sensory processing disorders.

“The new playground has been a huge success”, reported Allardice. “Ross Recreation was able to work with our very tight timeline” The new playground – including the rubberized safety surfacing and trike track – was built in 45 days from time of order.

The new playground’s Roller Slide was a big hit with kids, especially those with tactile system impairments, reported one of the staff. The Nature Inspired features offer different textures that stimulate the kids’ tactile systems.

In the last year, Ross Recreation has helped design and install six different special needs playgrounds, using equipment from Landscape Structures, the leader in Inclusive Play. Call us for details, or visit our Projects section.

By Ewing Philbin

Glankler Early Learning Center, Fremont, CA

Splashpad Opens in Mission District

Mission District youngsters can now take a break from the summer heat with the newly opened Mission Playground, San Francisco’s first Vortex splashpad. The new splashpad features kid-activated bubblers and fountains. More young families are making this new outdoor recreational amenity a destination visit, enlivening and enriching this Mission District neighborhood. Splashpads are accessible to everyone and offer inclusive play that connects families.

“You can hear shrieks of joy from kids a block away,” says our friend Laura, who lives in San Francisco’s Mission District. “The kids love the new splashpad.” Laughter is a welcome and happy noise in any community.

Playgrounds Coming In Different Shapes & Sizes

Cookie-cutter playsystems with posts and elevated decks are beginning to give way to new innovative designs. Since the early 1970s, playgrounds have invariably featured composite playstructures with elevated decks. And while these traditional playsystems have their place, new design trends are increasingly breaking this traditional mold, offering users an array of functionally linked net climbers, fitness clusters, and independent slides. Prime examples can be found (and played on) at newly opened Helen Diller Playground at San Francisco’s beautiful Mission Dolores Park and Calabazas Park in San Jose. Both of these exciting new playgrounds offer different textures, enhanced play value, and a new approach to inclusiveness with most play events at ground level. New school playgrounds, like Eleanor Nixon School near the Stanford University campus also increasingly favor non-traditional playground design and an emphasis on fitness for kids. Personally, I love these fresh, exciting new trends because they offer children greater opportunities for self-directed play, and greater accessibility for kids (and adults) of all abilities.

Click here to check out a video of the Helen Diller Playground grand opening.

Helen Diller Playground at Mission Dolores Park, San Francisco
Eleanor Nixon School, Palo Alto USD
Calabazas Park, San Jose

Building Community in the Napa Valley

They say necessity is the mother of invention. In Napa, the realities of shrinking city budgets resulted in a very non-traditional alliance of municipal government, community volunteers, and “The Playground King.”

The City of Napa, with Jon Bawden of Ross Recreation, had developed plans for a major renovation of the city’s large playground at Buhman Park. With growing budget cutbacks, the City Parks Department was considering scaling back the playground plans when Jon introduced the department to Jim Roberts, former Napa Kiwanis Club president and community philanthropist, who had worked with Ross Recreation’s certified installers on dozens of volunteer community playground installations. The Parks Department decided to try this volunteer approach and the result was a resounding success for the community, the volunteers, and for city finances! Jim Roberts, his Kiwanis friends, City of Napa employees, and community volunteers came together one day to build the new playground. The event marked Jim Roberts’ 50th volunteer playground build! No wonder Jim has been nationally recognized as “The Playground King.”

Click here to read more about Landscape Structures volunteer builds in Napa from the Playground King himself, Jim Roberts.

Jon Bawden & Jim Roberts, Buhman Park

Playgrounds Aren’t Just For Kids

Someone recently sent me an AARP article – yup, I’m a grandpa. The article touted the health benefits of multi-generational play for people of all ages. Over the years, I’ve come to intuitively believe that playgrounds aren’t just for kids, but in fact can be centers of healthy living for people of all ages and abilities. When Bonney and I take our granddaughters to the playground, we often wonder who has more fun?

Increasingly, park professionals and landscape architects are specifying adult outdoor exercise equipment in city parks and community centers as a compliment to children’s playgrounds. Multi-generational play is fun and builds healthy communities!

Click here to learn more about Landscape Structures’ HealthBeat equipment, the perfect compliment to any play area.

By Ewing Philbin

Ewing & Granddaughter Brier at Rincon Ridge Park, Santa Rosa

 

On The Front Lines of School Playground Safety

Earlier this month, I got to spend time with 75 dedicated people who commit themselves on a daily basis to child safety on busy San Jose school playgrounds. Because of our long-standing relationship, the San Jose Unified School District had invited me to speak at a playground safety training with their playground supervisors. At the training, I gave an overview of playground regulations in California, and showed the supervisors what to look for when making pre-recess inspections of their schools’ play equipment and safety surfacing. We discussed the Landscape Structures unique compression clamp system, the hardware used on play structures, and the potential for wear where there are moving parts. The training was fun and informative for everyone – me included – and was consistent with Ross’ goal of staying connected to our customers.

By Ewing Philbin

New Website Helps Communities Evaluate Their Parks

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 national non-profit dedicated to providing comprehensive services to help local community leaders improve their park systems. For more information go to parkscore.tpl.org.

Congratulations City of San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department for being named #1 in the Nation!

Ever Wonder What Happens When You Put An Elephant On A Slide???

Stomper's Stuck!

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, and to root on the home team during the A’s win over the Tigers.

New A’s Playstructure
Stomper & Friends

The Ross Difference

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 apart.

First, Ross is family owned and operated, like most of the manufacturers that we partner with. Next year will mark our 40th Anniversary, and that’s important we think because when you buy a long-lived asset like a steel building or a playground you are implicitly entering into a long-term relationship with the equipment vendor. Second reason: Ross Recreation has built a company culture that is laser focused on customer support and satisfaction. Don’t take my word for it; we can supply you with the names of customers who have worked with us for decades. Another difference is Ross Recreation installs what we sell. Unlike others, we are long time specialty contractors who can either turnkey a project, or provide volunteer assistance from factory certified installers. Construction is in our DNA. Finally, we share with our manufacturing partners an unwavering commitment to product safety and quality.

At Ross we are passionate about product solutions for the people we work with. As I begin my 28th year with our company, I am proud of our employees, our manufacturer relationships, and our continued commitment to serving communities and making those communities stronger.

By Ewing Philbin

Universally Accessible Play

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 for kids of all abilities. “When special needs children have limited access to play with able bodied children,” says Evelyn Velez-Rosario, a City Parks Manager, “they miss out on an opportunity to develop important social skills.” Click here to learn more about Universally Accessible Playground design. To visit Landscape Structures Inclusive Play products, click here!

Visit one of the City’s new Universally Accessible Playgrounds (UAPs), including the newest Landscape Structures “Nature-Themed” playground at the historic Frank Bramhall Park (located on Willow Street and Camino Ramon) in the Willowside District near downtown San Jose.

Bramhall Park
Willow Street & Camino Ramon

Nisich Park
1487 Nisich Drive

Paul Moore Park
Cherry Avenue at Hillsdale Avenue

Newhall Park
Newhall Street & Campbell Avenue

Calabazas Park
Rainbow & Blaney

 

Bramhall Park, San Jose, CA
Newhall Park, San Jose, CA

Shane’s Inspiration Honors Steve King

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 playstructure that we know today. Shane’s Inspiration is a national non-profit whose mission is to create inclusive playgrounds and programs that unite children of all abilities. At their annual gala, Steve will be honored with Shane’s Visionary Leadership Award.

By Ewing Philbin

Steve King and Ewing Philbin

New ASTM Standards

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 for play equipment labeling, and clarification of safety zones on elevated structures with certain types of ground level components attached.

Rest assured that Landscape Structures is reviewing the new requirements and will continue to meet or exceed the ASTM standards for playgrounds.

At Ross Recreation, contact Judy Ogburn ([email protected]) if you have questions about regulations governing children’s’ playgrounds. Judy has over 18 years of design experience and recently secured her NPSI (National Playground Safety Institute) Certification.

Heather School

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 the San Francisco Bay, and to help them organize a “Build Day” when school and community volunteers installed their dream playstructure. Rain and weather did not damper the spirits and enthusiasm of this special group!

“Not only did the team at Ross Recreation create the most innovative and beautifully designed playground, but they were timely and thorough in all deliverables…Ross Recreation was always responsive to our calls and available to answer our questions throughout the planning process for our community build.”

– Kate Worthington & Meredith Park, Heather School Playground Committee

Check out the video!

To learn more about how Ross Recreation can help you organize your volunteer playground installation contact Bob Hanes ([email protected]), Ross Recreation’s Construction Manager.

 

Heather School, San Carlos, CA

Are Today’s Playgrounds Too Safe?

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 fears on the playground to properly mature emotionally and physically. Modern regulations and widespread litigation, the article points out, have resulted in playgrounds that are often boring and not as safe for children as originally intended. One of our senior designers here at Ross Recreation, Judy Ogburn, observed that parents at playgrounds often fail to exercise proper child supervision because they perceive the modern playground as a “risk-free environment” for children and are lulled into a false sense of security.

In reading a more recent article published by ABC News, entitled Overprotective Parents Imperil Kids at the Playground, one statement in particular stood out for me:

“Playgrounds are, in many ways, a microcosm of a child’s world,” says Mark A. Reinecke, chair of psychology and child development at Northwestern University in Illinois. “The lessons learned there reverberate through their lives.”

My favorite childhood memories of outdoor play included building forts in wetlands behind our home, and flying high over a creek on a homemade tire swing. Those experiences, sadly, for most children may no longer be possible.  As adults, we all want a safe play environment for our children and grandchildren.  We want environments that encourage curiosity, social play, and problem solving. At the same time, we hope for playgrounds that encourage excitement, offer adventure, and provide graduated risk taking for kids, all formative experiences that shape kids’ development in a positive fashion.

By Ewing Philbin

To read the New York Times article click here.
To read the ABC News article click here.

Landscape Structures Seminar Offers Solutions for Inclusive Playgrounds

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 Play environments. Seminar participants exchanged ideas and learned that properly designed playgrounds can provide similar practical benefits to accepted therapy protocols for children with autism and other sensory processing disorders. With the alarming and dramatic increase in autism among children in the US and other countries, playgrounds can serve yet another valuable role in our communities. Stay tuned for future seminars that focus on playground maintenance.


Ship Ahoy!



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 San Francisco, collaborated with Judy Ogburn of Ross Recreation on the maritime theme for the playground which features a sailing ship of a bygone era.

For more on LSI’s custom capabilities, click here.

The ship served as the backdrop for the ribbon cutting ceremony, which officially opened Cabrillo Playground.

School Playground Improvement on a Budget

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. The school had purchased a Landscape Structures playstructure almost twenty years ago and the PTA had considered a replacement structure that would better serve upper grades kids. Maria contacted us and after visiting the playground to discuss project needs and objectives, Ross recommended using the existing playstructure posts and decks that were in excellent condition and adding or replacing components that appealed to older kids, components that promoted upper body strength, balance, and fitness. We developed design options that the committee could review, and finalized a plan for the structure retrofit. Best of all, the plan cost a fraction of the cost of a full playground replacement! To save additional funds, Ross explained the benefits of using volunteers to install the new components. The results were gratifying. In Maria’s words: 

“Thank you, thank you, Alex, Bob and Ewing at Ross Recreation! This has been an awesome and fun experience overall. It’s been great working with everyone at Ross Recreation from beginning to end. Tom was patient, friendly, and knowledgeable being our technical director on site. We bonded as a community, made strong friendships, had fun, and completed something tangible and wonderful to give to the students and children in the community. This community build was an awesome experience and a legacy. In my humble opinion, it would have been very different, too easy, and way less meaningful to have done it otherwise. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts at Vallejo Mill Elementary!”
 
Retrofitted Playground at Vallejo Mill Elementary School, Fremont

Click here to learn more about playground retrofit options.

To learn more about volunteer installations, visit our Construction Services page.