THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 21, 1994 TAG: 9410190223
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: E12D EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBYNE R. COOKE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
When 175 children put their heads together, the results can be pretty creative.
Last week, Chesapeake students spoke with New York-based architect Dennis Wille about what they would like to see included in Fun Forest, the two-acre fun park that will be built next May at Chesapeake City Park.
``We build it based on what the kids want. Of course, there's certain things we couldn't do - like the bungee jumping and the swimming pool,'' said Wille with a chuckle.
But the 22,000-square-foot playground will feature a spiral slide, swings, jungle gyms, mazes and multi-level wood structures that offer children choices of how high they want to climb.
Wille, an architect with Leathers and Associates, remembers climbing to the top of a slide as a child, only to realize that he was afraid to go down it. He had no choice but to overcome his fear, however, because a long line of children had formed on the ladder behind him.
``We had a lot of ideas I tried to work into the design,'' he added.
About 100 people turned out at Oscar Smith High School on Oct. 13 to see Wille's initial drawings of the playground. The event was the culmination of a day of meeting with children and gathering suggestions.
``About 25 percent of those answers on what they wanted in Fun Forest included handicapped accessibility. We were very happily shocked,'' said Mary Haddad, coordinator for the playground.
The children's enthusiasm was evident that night when a group of them performed songs written about the construction of Fun Forest. Those who were too little to remember the words to the songs just stood up on the stage smiling at the crowd.
Alexia Peterson, a 9-year-old Greenbrier Intermediate School student, said she was hoping Wille would include a tunnel. ``I love going to Kids' Cove. We like exciting playing. I told my mom I want to go to Fun Forest lots of times.''
Her sister, 8-year-old Sara, said, ``I was thinking you could put in a cave that kind of makes you dizzy.''
Four-year-old Elizabeth McClelland is most excited about the swings and the slides.
Wille said the children also requested such items as a firepole, balance beams, a wooden ship and a wheelchair maze, which he will include. It will be a playground and a learning center, making the two the same, he said.
``We're going to need over 1,000 people to build the playground next May. It's the closest thing we have now to an old-fashioned barn-raising,'' he told the crowd.
He urged people to recruit their family, friends and neighbors to help with construction, which is scheduled to take five to six days.
The idea for Fun Forest began with the Chesapeake Division of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, which helped to form a non-profit organization of business and civic leaders to develop a giant play area in Chesapeake.
The park will be located in tall shade trees within the 75-acre Chesapeake City Park and will be surrounded by a tall fence, picnic tables and an observation deck for parents.
Eventually, an arboretum and a discovery trail will also be added. by CNB