The Limitless Park project will include four phases that outline the construction of a new, all-inclusive splash pad, year-round restrooms, renovated all-inclusive playground as well as inclusive summer programming.
(Photo by Jones Petrie Rafinski)

A press conference was held today at Winona Lake Town Hall to discuss Limitless Park, Winona Lake’s new and all-inclusive recreational destination.

Though the park will include the renovation of the current playground, creating a new, revolutionary play area for people of all ages and abilities, that is not the only the only feature that has piqued interest in those both near and far. The park will also include new beach access, an accessible splash pad and sand-play area and universally accessible, year-round restrooms.

According to the Limitless Park master plan, the vision for Winona Lake Limitless Park “is to create a place that embraces the natural beauty of the surrounding environment and engages  everyone in “limitless” play.” The master plan notes that limitless is defined as including children who are typically developing, have neurological disabilities, intellectual disabilities, require wheelchairs or other medical equipment, have physical disabilities and/or have social or emotional difficulties.

According to Shelly Beam, Winona Lake Park Board president, phase one of the project, which will include the creation of an access point to the beach and water, the splash pad and sand-play area and the year-round restrooms, will break ground on May 31. Beam stated the hope is to have phase one completed by Labor Day weekend for a soft opening.

The splash pad will feature a variety of water cannons, as well as a more gentle water play area. In addition, the renovation of the restrooms will serve as the trailhead from Winona Lake trails, which are frequented by bicyclists and hikers from within the county and beyond. According to Greg Demopouls, president of the Kosciusko County Cycling Club, the facilities will tie into nicely into furthering both Winona Lake and Warsaw’s bicycle-friendly initiative.

Phase two, which will include the renovation of the current playground and the addition of age appropriate play areas and a variety of sensory playscapes, has a projected groundbreaking of spring of 2015. Later phases of the project will include an eco-friendly parking lot and expanded accessible parking as well as inclusive summer programming for those with special needs in grades K-12.

“We have been working on the design and what we are looking at are several play equipment manufacturers that design for all abilities — the inclusive play,” explained Chris Chockley of Jones Petrie Rafinski in South Bend, the company in charge of drawing up plans for the park. The playground, which will include a double-wide walkway that leads children up to the different elevations within the play structure will be approximately 5 feet tall and will overlook the beach and Winona Lake.

“We are going to be looking at things for cognitive challenges such as this thing called a cozy dome where people with disabilities or any children can get inside this dome and feel like they are in an enclosed space for a feeling of comfort,” said Chockley. “Other things such as crawl tubes, swings, spinners will be included and we are looking at a Neos, an electronic, large, human-sized version of the game Simon where you can go up various elevations and if something blinks, you can go up and touch that. We are bringing an electronic aspect into that area of the playground as well.”

According to Erin Porter, Winona Lake Limitless Park committee chair, the cost for the project is estimated at $1.5 million. Porter noted that by the end of the project, the cost could probably be rounded up to $2 million. Funding for the project has begun through pursuit of both grants and donations from the community. In addition, events such as Limitless Race, hosted by Metzger Outdoors this past weekend, have helped to raise funding for the project. Future events will include invitational events hosted by Cerulean on Friday, May 30 and Saturday, June 21, and a community groundbreaking  and Wheels In Winona Showcase on Saturday, May 31.

“We have had a lot of generous donors,” explained Porter. “We have raised approximately $700,000 towards that goal and one of the main donors for that has been K21, they have given $300,000 toward that, and that means that our phase one is fully funded.”

Rich Haddad, K21 Health Foundation President and CEO stated, “I think this is a real game changer for our community in that we don’t have these sorts of facilities available to our families of all abilities and I think this is something unique for a smaller communities to have available and offer families in our community, and surrounding communities quite frankly, our focus is Kosciusko County obviously but I think this will attract families from all around our region … Our board was very excited and committed to helping this project get launched.”

Funding for the project is still ongoing with donors still being sought locally. According to Beam, those looking to donate may do through whatever amount possible — from $5 to several thousand dollars. To donate to Winona Lake Limitless Park, click here. 

A press conference was held this morning with local community leaders to detail the upcoming construction of Limitless Park. Front row (from left): David Wallen; Shelly Beam, Winona Lake Park Board president; Holly Hummitch, Winona Lake Parks Department director; Erin Porter, Limitless Park committee chair. Back row: Chris Chockley, Jones Petrie Rafinski; Mary Pat Wallen; Suzy Light, Kosciusko Community Foundation; Craig Allebach, Winona Lake town coordinator; Abby Weiss, KLA/ABC Industries; David Taylor, Kosciusko County Convention and Visitor Recreation Commission; Rich Haddad, K21 Health Foundation president and CEO; and Greg Demopoulos, Kosciusko County Cycling Club president.