Stapleton has many wonderful pocket parks scattered throughout the neighborhood. Most of these parks offer fun play areas for kids. Forest City has done a great job in having age-appropriate play structures for the kids. However, no matter how safe you try to make equipment, kids will find a way to get hurt. “Kids will climb on things that aren’t supposed to be climbed on, swing on the swings standing up, or simply push each other off the slides,” said resident Tim Strassburg. “So many kids were getting injured at the pocket parks, something needed to be done.”
The problem at the parks is partially supervision. “When you go to the parks, there are plenty of parents there,” said Strassburg. “The problem is that most of the parents are there socializing, checking their email, or reading. So, they really weren’t paying attention to the mischief their kids were getting into.” Forest City knows that parents in Stapleton aren’t about to give up their social time, but Stapleton parents also demand that their kids are safe. “Why should I have to constantly be checking on my kid when I am at the park?” asked resident Stacy Porche. “If my child gets hurt, someone should be there to take care of them.”
Forest City worked with the community members and the local hospitals and figured out a solution. “In conjunction with the local hospitals and community doctors and nurses, Forest City will be setting up triage centers at each of the pocket parks,” said Forest City Spokesperson Janelle Ayers. “Residents at the hospitals will do rotations along with doctors and nurses in the community who have been kind enough to donate their time. We think this is the kind of solution that will give parents the peace of mind that even if they are not paying attention to their kids, if an injury happens, something is in place to take care of them.”
Residents could not be more pleased with the new system. “It is great to know that when I take my kids to the park, I don’t even have to feel bad about not paying attention to them,” said resident Luke Schwartz. “There are professionally trained people there that can do that for me.” The best part about the plan is that it will not increase HOA dues by much. “Because of all the time we are getting donated, it mostly comes down to supplies,” said Ayers. “So, the annual HOA increase will be maybe $2.”
]]>