After a few “hiccups,” Santa Clara finally has what one Santa Clara City Council member said is the Cadillac of playgrounds.
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Central Park Aug. 28, Santa Clara added a Magical Bridge playground to its stable. While the council announced the intent to build the “all-inclusive” playground in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused fundraising efforts to stall.
An “all-inclusive” playground provides those of all abilities — from physical handicaps such as being wheelchair-bound to developmental disabilities such as autism — and developmental milestones with equipment accessible to them.
In the years following the announcement, the Magical Bridge Foundation, the nonprofit architect of the playground, struggled to secure donors to pay for the $5.5 million park. Then, in June 2022, the drought ended when a $800,000 state grant filled the coffers.
The playground is in Council Member Kevin Park’s district, but he said that isn’t the sole reason his presence at the ribbon-cutting was appropriate.
“I am the only member of council that has a child that is going to use that playground,” Park said. “This park is not just for kids … This is a great place to let your children have fun and play and you can rest. It is a good place for families to gather.”
Park said he really loves how the designers incorporated different aspects of the park into the playground design.
Only the ninth Magical Bridge playground in the Bay Area, Park said the playground is a feather in Santa Clara’s cap. He compared it to having a Costco or an In-N-Out in your neighborhood.
“If you are a parent, you know about Magical Bridge,” he said. “When you agree to meet another parent for a playdate or whatever, you know what you are getting.”
Despite what she called “a few hiccups in the fundraising effort,” Olenska Villarreal, founder and CEO of the Magical Bridge Foundation, said she was pleased with the timeline and result.
Construction crews broke ground at the site in June last year.
With laser-focused research in hand, she said the nonprofit aims to make Magical Bridge playgrounds consistent across locations while incorporating elements unique to the site.
Villarreal’s husband grew up playing in Central Park, so the project had a personal connection for her.
“We have seen over the years that these are real community spaces,” Villarreal said. “It is a space for everyone, and you do see everyone … Today’s playgrounds are no longer meeting the needs of tomorrow’s family.”
The ribbon-cutting featured music by the Dream Achievers Band, whose members are autistic, and magician Robert Strong.
“We are thrilled to have this wonderful new playground and recreational area open so that children and adults of all abilities can enjoy [it],” Janine De la Vega, the city’s director of communications, wrote in a statement. “We had a tremendous turnout from our community and many expressed their appreciation for this new diverse play space with accessible play structures.”
Calling Magical Bridge sites “playgrounds” doesn’t really do them justice, Villarreal said. Modern playground designers seem more concerned with “checking boxes” instead of being a welcoming place for everyone, she added.
By providing activities for all abilities and ages, including adults, Magical Bridge Foundation aims to make the world more inclusive, one playground at a time, Villarreal said.
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing,” she said.
The Magical Bridge playground is now open in Central Park, 909 Kiely Blvd, in Santa Clara.
