County Officials and Partners Welcome Additions to Sedgwick County Park

(Sedgwick County, Kan.) – Sedgwick County officials and community partners celebrated additions to Sedgwick County Park today at the Sunrise Boundless Playscape and the Art Walk.

“Sedgwick County is a proud supporter of the community’s arts and culture amenities,” Chairman David Dennis said. “Partnerships [like this] are vital to the success of our community.”

The County and the West Sedgwick County Sunrise Rotary Club celebrated this morning a $150,000 renovation project of the Sunrise Boundless Playscape. The project was funded by the Rotary, County, corporate and private donations.

“With help from the community, the Boundless Playscape has become a place where kids - no matter their abilities - can make new friends and just have fun,” Rotary President Matt Byrum said.

Three major areas of the Playscape now have new play equipment:

•  A wheelchair-accessible maze through the generous gifts from Goebel Star Lumber Family Foundation, Kansas Children’s Foundation (formerly Wesley Children’s Foundation), Cox Charities, and JR Custom Metal.
•  Sound Play Garden through the generosity of Envision.
•  A new children’s area replacing the sand play through the generosity of the Lattner Family Foundation, West Wichita Rotary Club, Fidelity Bank, and Sedgwick County.

The Playscape is a 1.5-acre outdoor play area nestled in the middle of Sedgwick County Park with age-appropriate equipment for toddlers to elementary-age children. There are separate swing bays for babies and toddlers, elementary-age children, high back swings for children with spinal challenges, and the Sway Fun swing for those who use wheelchairs. There are climbing structures, slides, spinners and sound play equipment. Phase 1 was dedicated in 2008.

County officials and the Wichita Arts Council recognized the efforts artwork installed at the Sedgwick County Art Walk at an event this afternoon. Two pieces of artwork by Terry Corbett have been completed so far.

“Inclusion was at the very heart of the Art Walk design,” Arts Council President Martha Linsner said. “Art is for everybody, and the wheelchair-friendly surfaces guarantee that anyone and everyone can be part of the Art Walk.”  

Twenty acres of parkland near 13^th Street has been designated for an art walk with “family-friendly environmental art.” The Wichita Arts Council approves the artwork, the County will maintain it, and help construct pathways to make it wheelchair accessible. An estimate of the cost of the artwork, installation, and pathways is approximately $400,000.

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