Seaview residents Julie and Rich Kuehn have three children who play at Edmonds’ Seaview Park nearly every day. However, playtime at the park is more difficult for their youngest — 3-year-old Jacob — because he has cerebral palsy.

The Kuehns came before the city council last year to describe the challenge for Jacob, who uses a walker, to get around on the park’s wood chip surface.

Thanks to an amendment from Councilmember Mike Nelson, the council added $200,000 to the city’s 2019 budget to begin the process of making Edmonds’ playground surfaces accessible to all people with disabilities. The process will start with Seaview Park, which will feature either a poured-rubber or a synthetic grass surface to accommodate everyone.

“Having a child with cerebral palsy, who depends on a walker to be mobile, has made it difficult to enjoy our park as much as we did with our first two kids,” said Julie Kuehn. “Now with having a more inclusive option, we can get back to enjoying the park more as a family.”

The City of Edmonds is asking for community feedback on what play equipment to include in the renovated playground, said City Deputy Parks and Recreation Director Shannon Burley. On Wednesday, the city launched a survey on possible options (see gallery of examples below). Community members can view them and vote via an online survey or in person at the Frances Anderson Center. Voting will end on March 11, 2019, with a goal of having the new playground installed near the beginning of this summer.

“We are really excited to be bringing this inclusive playground to our city,” Burley said. “While all playgrounds in Edmonds are ADA compliant and many have accessible swings, interactive panels and various equipment for children of all abilities, they also feature wood chips as the fall surface, which creates a challenge for children with mobility devices such as walkers and wheelchairs.”

The Seaview playground will include a fall surface — either poured rubber or artificial grass — “that is inclusive of all children while ensuring the playground equipment has something for everyone,” she added.

You are invited to take the survey here, by visiting the City of Edmonds Facebook page or at http://www.edmondswa.gov/services/parks-and-recreation.html.

“We are honored to be a part of this process to bring a playground to Edmonds that will be fun for all children, regardless of their abilities,” Julie Kuehn said.