The City of Kamloops says plans are moving ahead on the construction of an inclusive playground at Riverside Park, the first fully accessible playground in the city.

Senior Parks Supervisor, Shawn Cook, says it will be built to incorporate the existing playground within Riverside Park with “several” new inclusive amenities – like a “We-Go-Round”, “We-Saw” and a “ZipKrooz” – so children of all abilities will be able to enjoy the downtown park.

“Whether a child is transferring out of their mobility device, or not, there’s plenty to do,” Jill Moore, a wheelchair athlete who aids in development of inclusive playgrounds with Landscape Structures, the playground vendor, added, in a statement.

“Activities like the ZipKrooz with both a molded bucket seat and a standard seat provide a level of choice to each user. That way, regardless if I’m standing or sitting, I can also jump in for a race with my friends.”

Construction on the new playground will start Sept. 12 with an estimated completion date at the end of November. It will cost the City an estimated $900,000 to build this new inclusive playground, with $200,000 of that coming from an unidentified private donation.

The current playground at Riverside Park will be closed while work is underway, with people being directed to Prince Charles Park, the Stuart Wood school park, or McArthur Island Park.

Work on the multi-use pathway within Riverside Park is also complete, the City says, noting it fully reopened last Friday, Sept. 2.