Church opens first phase of inclusive playground

The first phase of Olympic View Church’s four-phase community park project “The Gathering Ground” is nearly complete.

Church volunteers hosted a soft opening and open house on Aug. 16 for the inclusive playground at 503 N. Brown Road.

Children and adults sampled the new swing set, ziplines, preschool play set, merry-go-round (“Inclusive Whirl”), spinning pyramid (“Cyclo Cone Pyramid”) and stationary musical instruments.

Pastor Lewis Godby said the remaining items for phase 1 of the project include adding poured-in-place rubber around the merry-go-round in mid-September, installing a swing that holds both an adult and an infant, and a final routine inspection of the structures.

It’s open now from dawn to dusk for any families, Godby said.

Sequim Gazette photos by Matthew Nash DIstrict 3 Fire Chief Justin Grider gives the “Inverted Whirl” merry-go-round a spin on Aug. 16 during a soft opening for The Gathering Ground’s first phase at Olympic View Church. The playground is open to the public daily from dawn to dusk.

In previous interviews, volunteers said the playground’s intent is to be open to the community, and with level surfacing so that those with mobility devices can play beside everyone else.

The playground’s first phase features a bigger opening on the Cyclo-Pyramid for children to climb into, a seat on a zipline, a seated swing, a flush-to-the ground Inclusive Whirl, ADA-compliant wood chips, and more.

“Children with challenges can do anything on this playground,” Godby said.

Nine-year-old Eliza Burrows enjoys a spin on the “Cyclo Cone Climber” tower at Olympic View Church’s The Gathering Ground. The structure holds up to 20 children and spins both directions.

Equipment was delivered on June 12, and about 40 church attendees and community members volunteered their time to complete installation over the last two months, and companies either gave in kind donations or discounts for time and materials.

Mallory Dobbs, a church attendee, brought her children to the open house saying her family has made donations to the project because “it’s a great opportunity for our community to have such a wonderful playground for all children.”

Volunteers plan to install landscaped mounds between the playground and parking lot to keep children in while remaining inviting to the public.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Five-year-old Boaz Saffold enjoys a ride inside the “Cyclo Cone Climber” on Aug. 16 during the soft opening for The Gathering Place’s first phase at Olympic View Church. The playground is open dawn to dusk to all community members.

The next phases of The Gathering Ground include a pavilion for phase 2, a concrete log and hill/slide play structure for phase 3, and poured-in place rubber throughout instead of wood chips for phase 4.

Deb Alwine, chairman of fundraising, said they need about $250,000 more for the next three phases.

Along with ongoing fundraising efforts, volunteers host a spaghetti dinner and auction on Friday, Oct. 11, at the Guy Cole Event Center, with proceeds benefiting the remainder of the project.

For tickets, call Alwine at 360-460-0313.

Donations to the project are tax-deductible, with more information available at gatheringgroundsequim.com.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ The Gathering Ground’s first phase is open dawn to dusk to community members and is inclusive for children of all abilities.