At the June 23, 2020 regular Hernando County Board of County Commissioners meeting, the Board unanimously voted to approve the purchase of new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible playground equipment for Anderson Snow Park, located at 1360 Anderson Snow Road in Spring Hill.

BOCC approves ADA accessible playground equipment for Anderson Snow Park

The awarded company, BCI Burke Company, LLC in coordination with Top Line Recreation Inc., provided the best value by meeting the needs of Hernando County residents, ADA considerations and the County’s budget. The contract was awarded at a cost of $189,998.94.

“Anderson Snow Park’s ground cover was predominately sand, and that made it difficult for children utilizing wheelchairs and walkers to reach the playground equipment,” said Harry Johnson Hernando County Parks and Recreation Manager. “A local mom brought these shortcomings to our attention in February 2019 when her daughter was unable to enjoy our park equipment with the same ease as the other children and my staff and I jumped at the opportunity to work on this project.”

The new equipment includes the following highlights (see image below) to create a universally inclusive playground specifically designed for kids of all abilities:

• ADA accessible volta
• ADA accessible kidforce spinner
• ADA accessible freedom seat
• ADA accessible artificial turf
• ADA certified mulch

Parks and Recreation plans to place $250,000 in its Capital Improvement Project budget each year, for the next five to ten years, to replace older playground equipment at other County parks to help make Hernando County more accessible for all to enjoy.

“We are excited for these much-needed improvements to be made around our community,” says John Mitten Hernando County BOCC Chairman. “We want children of all abilities to be able to enjoy our parks and this approval gets us one step closer to that goal.”

The Hernando County Parks and Recreation Department anticipates the installation of this equipment to be finished before the end of 2020. Contact Parks and Recreation at (352) 754-4027 or Recreation@HernandoCounty.us for more information on this exciting new addition to the Hernando County parks system.