Redondo Beach plans all-abilities Franklin Park playground with $500,000 allocation, Kings Foundation gift

City staff presented conceptual designs for an all-abilities playground at Franklin Park and asked the Public Humanities Commission to receive and file the plans before the project goes to City Council for final approval.

Director Orta, community services director, said the City Council allocated $500,000 in the FY24-25 budget to replace the existing playground and its surfacing and to create an inclusive play space designed for children with a wide range of physical and developmental abilities. "This would be the first of its kind in the city of Redondo Beach," Orta said, describing low-level ramping, sensory panels, wind chimes and a platform rocker sized to accommodate wheelchairs.

Why it matters: the project aims to make play accessible to children who use wheelchairs, walkers or have sensory sensitivities and to increase neighborhood access to recreational amenities. Orta said staff convened occupational therapists, families and playground professionals as part of a stakeholder group and tried to maximize usable elements within the park's limited footprint.

Funding and timeline: Orta told the commission the city allocated $500,000 to the project; since then the LA Kings Foundation has donated $75,000 and a GameTime/CPRS (California Parks and Recreation Society) partnership will provide about a 50% equipment discount (presented in materials as roughly $99,000). Orta said the project's base cost before grants and donations is roughly $390,000 and staff currently estimates a budget buffer of approximately $185,000 assuming demolition and installation proceed without complications. "We are expecting to be under budget by about $185,000," Orta said, adding that the timeline depends on council approval and contracting: staff hopes to take the final design to council in December and to complete installation in late spring or early summer next year.

Design choices and tradeoffs: commissioners asked why the proposals contain no swings; Commissioner Galassi said the limited footprint and required safety zones make swings infeasible without displacing other accessible elements. Orta and councilmember Paige Kalejatovic, whose district includes Franklin Park, noted swings would have required larger fall zones and could have excluded other users. Kalejatovic said residents with children with special needs and representatives from the nearby Friendship Campus helped shape the color palette and element selection.

Community input and next steps: Commissioners requested additional details on signage and capacity estimates and suggested adding a park-history sign and a visible city logo. Orta said staff will collect the commission's input and present it to council with the design packet; the commission unanimously voted to receive and file the report.

Quotes: "This is a really great community-focused project," Orta said. Councilmember Paige Kalejatovic said the project "is designed for everyone" and praised the stakeholder involvement from neighboring families and organizations.

What comes next: staff will share tonight's input with the City Council when seeking final approval; if council approves the design and contract, staff plans demolition, fabrication and installation in the months that follow.