The playground at Patch Reef Park, to open next summer, will be easier to navigate for kids like Jordan Ogman (foreground below), who has a genetic brain disease. Rendering and photo provided
By Faran Fagen
At the start of 2023, Boca Raton resident David Ogman posted a picture on his social media of an inclusive playground from his family vacation in Nashville.
The caption: “If they can do it in Nashville, why not in Boca Raton?”
Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District Commissioner Steve Engel saw the post. He’s Facebook friends with Ogman, whose son has special needs. Engel immediately accepted the challenge, along with District Chairwoman Erin Wright and Executive Director Briann Harms.
“This is what we’re meant to do,” Engel said. “We’re meant to serve all residents in the community — special needs included.”
Thanks to this partnership, park district commissioners ceremoniously broke ground on the $4 million inclusive playground at Patch Reef Park on Nov. 7.
Ogman appeared before the Beach and Park Board at several meetings last year to advocate for the inclusive playground.
The playground, expected to open in the summer of 2025, will enable David’s son, Jordan, and other children with special needs to play side-by-side with friends and family.
“The park’s not strictly for people with disabilities,” Engel said. “It’s for all children.”
The new facility will replace the current Pirates Cove playground at Patch Reef Park, 2000 Yamato Road.
Pirates Cove, equipped with slides adorned with red ship sails as well as a pirate-themed play area, temporarily closed for the renovation on Nov. 6. Nearly all of the park’s natural features, including grasses, trees and rocks, will remain.
The existing splash pad will receive a makeover, adding new interactive elements. Climbing structures, swings and slides will have softer artificial turf underneath, along with shade structures for year-round comfort.
The ceremony took place at the current Pirates Cove playground at the west end of the park between the softball fields and the basketball courts. Members of the Ogman family, Wright, Engel and Harms spoke at the groundbreaking.
“Jordan will be thrilled when it’s open,” Ogman said. “Once he goes, he’ll be asking to go every day.”
Jordan was diagnosed with a rare brain disease, related to the TECPR2 gene, when he was 4 years old, and the family was told he had only months to live. Today, the Ogmans are raising money to help develop Jordan’s life-saving gene therapy at Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital.
When Jordan, now 9, played at Patch Reef Park, he fell in the mulch and tripped over high curbs. Anything that’s a steep structure was not accessible for Jordan, nor other kids with special needs. When Ogman saw Jordan playing with ease at the inclusive playground in Nashville, he realized what was missing.
“Unfortunately, there’s not very many options for kids with disabilities,” Ogman said. “This new playground is going to be tremendous for Jordan and other special needs kids in South Florida. They also need socialization, and the new park will offer that.”
According to Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation’s website, the county also offers three barrier-free, sensory-friendly playgrounds. They are at Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park west of Boca Raton, Lake Ida West Park in Delray Beach, and John Prince Park in Lake Worth Beach.
Jacob’s Park at 8500 Jog Road in Boynton Beach also was built to allow special needs kids and other kids to play together. Jacob’s Park was created in memory of Jacob Rappoport, who died at 9 months of a genetic spinal disorder in 2002.
Engel marvels at the courage of the special needs families the inclusive playground in Boca Raton will serve.
“Jordan is a bubbly young boy full of courage, and the fight in him is something to be admired,” Engel said. “How can we let the Ogmans and the other families down?”
Once the playground is finished, features like a wheelchair-compatible swing set and slides mounted on grassy hills rather than ladders will afford easier access.
For parents, additional benches will provide better, shaded sight lines for them to monitor children’s play. Picnic areas and restroom facilities will be new, and additional parking that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act will be available.
A fence will surround the entire inclusive playground area to keep curious children from wandering unsupervised into different areas of the park.
“I think we will be living there,” Ogman said. “We’ll probably close the park down every night.”
Engel said this was the No. 1 project he’s worked on as commissioner.
“Eleanor Roosevelt said, ‘It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness,’” Engel said. “The Ogmans are a perfect example of this light.”
Learn more about Jordan and donate toward the Ogmans’ research at SavingJordan.org.
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