Creating Innovative Play Through Functional Art

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 »

Beautiful Splashpad Design Meets Smart Water Repurposing

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 »

Transformation in Play

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 »

Empowering Kids Through Play

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 »

Revitalizing Historic Murphy Avenue

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 »

Lattice Educational Services

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 »

Creating a Rooftop Playscape

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 »

Years of Outdoor Fun for Penngrove Elementary Kids

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 »

New Chapter for this Historic Sonoma Plaza

This month, volunteer Sonoma Rotarians teamed up with the town of Sonoma and Ross Recreation Equipment to upgrade and refresh a popular Landscape Structures play structure on the historic Sonoma Plaza.  The plaza, a traditional town square and a source of regional pride for more than a century and a half, was the place where early settlers staged the Bear... Read More »

George “Rocky” Graham Park is Now Open!

On July 11th, the community of Marin City joined together to celebrate the grand opening of their new George “Rocky” Graham Park. Ross Recreation, along with many other organizations involved in the design and construction of the park, were on hand to join the local residents in the celebration. After several years of planning, it was wonderful to see the... Read More »

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... Read More »

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... Read More »

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.... Read More »

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,... Read More »

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

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 »

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... Read More »

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... Read More »

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.... Read More »

Celebrating World Down Syndrome Day at Athan Downs Park

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 »

Bille Park

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 »