THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 30, 1994 TAG: 9409280130
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBYNE R. COOKE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Fun Forest will be a place where kids can swing, climb, slide and run. More importantly, it will be a place where they can use their imaginations.
Mary Haddad, coordinator for the Fun Forest project in Chesapeake, said construction of the two-acre fun park will begin May 3 and will be completed about a week later.
``Chesapeake has grown so quickly. We're catching up with the things that make the quality of life here so marvelous. This will be Everykids' playground and it will be built by Everyman,'' said Haddad.
Fun Forest will creatively combine traditional slides, swings and climbing apparatus with state-of-the-art playground design. It will be set in tall pine trees in the 75-acre Chesapeake City Park and will be surrounded by a fence to help parents keep track of their kids. An observation deck strictly for the care-givers also will aid in keeping track of the young adventurers, said Haddad.
Based loosely on Kids Cove in Virginia Beach, Fun Forest will be designed by the same New York-based architects, Leathers and Associates. Children from area schools are submitting their ideas for the park and a final rendering will be unveiled at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 at Oscar Smith High School.
Though final decisions won't be made on what to include in the park until then, Haddad said it will probably feature tree houses, rope swings, an airplane and a variety of other places where children can use their imaginations.
``They can get out all that energy in a safe way,'' she said.
Though a lot of the facilities will be constructed of wood, other low-maintenance materials, such as plastic, will also be used, said Haddad.
Picnic tables and grills will be located outside the fenced area so the whole family can enjoy the trip to the park. Fun Forest patrons also can use the basketball courts, fitness trail and the new skateboard ramp already in the park.
Many of the stations will be accessible to children who are visually or hearing impaired as well as those that are physically handicapped, she said.
The estimated cost for the project is $200,000. About $70,000 has already been raised through donations, sales of T-shirts, raffle tickets and a recent fund-raising picnic attended by more than 800 people.
``The fund raising is a grassroots effort. We want kids to contribute their nickels, so they can say, `This wouldn't be here without me,' '' said Haddad.
A wide range of events, including raffles and runs, are being planned to raise the rest of the money, she added.
Actual construction will be done by community volunteers, while employees of Leathers and Associates supervise the work.
``Fun Forest will be for toddlers to grown-ups,'' Haddad said. ``Anyone who has imagination can have a good time here. It will provide children and the people that love them a fantastic place to go and have fun.'' by CNB