Inclusive playground brings a CBJ theme to Delaware State Park

As Blake Mompher used his wheelchair to follow Stinger around, his mother, Megan, couldn’t help but relax.

The 11-year-old Blue Jackets fan was in his element at the ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday morning for a new CBJ-themed, inclusive playground at Delaware State Park, taking advantage of the new facility by having fun with his favorite mascot.

Stinger won’t be at the new playground every day, but there’s a good chance Blake – who has spina bifida and lives five minutes up the road in Delaware – might be.

“Blake already said, ‘Can we go every day?’” Megan said. “That’s fine with me. I have another child that likes to play on playgrounds too, his little brother. They can come and play together, and that’s a great thing.”

Blake was far from the only youngster to show up and have fun on day one. Despite a consistent drizzle of rain, plenty of kids were eager to run around with Stinger and special guest Smokey Bear, talk to the Ohio State Parks naturalists who brought an owl – fittingly named Owl Capone – and turtle for show, and enjoy the amenities of a park designed for all.

“When these projects come online, the first day is always so exciting because we get to see them actually being used by the families,” said Andee Cochren, executive director of the Blue Jackets Foundation. “When you hear all the squeals of laughter and joy, see the smiles, everyone looking around seeing something new for the first time, touching, feeling, exploring – it's really heartwarming to be able to come and see these projects being used in our community.”

And while this is the 14th CBJ-themed playground built by the Blue Jackets Foundation and its community partners over the past 25 years, it holds a special place in that legacy. The foundation partnered with the Ohio State Parks Foundation to provide a destination for park visitors that allows outdoor activities for all kids to move, play and have fun.

The Delaware State Park playground has been equipped with specialty items that were designed by Midstates Recreation to serve children of all abilities. That means an extra-wide slide that kids can go down with their parents, a merry-go-round whose surface is flat against the ground to provide accessibility, an ADA accessible swing set and a padded surface for all kids to enjoy.

Cathy Lyttle, the board chair of the Blue Jackets Foundation, said the design of the playground fits perfectly within the foundation’s pillars of support to provide all kids with the opportunity to be active in their community.

“This is one where we really felt great about the goal of inclusivity for all kids,” Lyttle said. “I think having this specially designed playground really speaks to who we are as a foundation, and that’s why we loved it. It was a no-brainer to say yes to a state park and yes to this particular project.

“Today, we’re really making a statement that kids of all abilities are able to take part in a playground that was specially designed for everyone. That’s pretty special.”

Located 30 miles north of downtown Columbus, Delaware State Park is a 1,686-acre public recreation area that offers camping, hiking, boating, fishing and picnicking. State parks are free to all visitors in Ohio, and director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Mary Mertz said providing resources such as the playground for families to enjoy is the organization’s goal.

“Frankly, this is what we’re all about,” Mertz said after trying her hand at the playground’s slide. “We have 76 state parks across the state, and we have them so people can go out and enjoy them, and many of our activities are about kids. We want to teach them to appreciate the world around them. We want to teach them to be future naturalists or botanists or, in this case, maybe hockey players. Working with kids is a lot of what we’re about in the state parks system.”

That impact will be felt by such people as Megan and Blake Mompher, who figure to be consistent guests at Delaware State Park for the foreseeable future.

“For him to be able to come to a playground and be able to explore and get where he needs to go without me having to worry, it’s a big deal,” Megan said. “It’s huge. For families like ours to have this in our community, it’s a blessing.”