draft preferred concept plan - minneapolis parks mn 55416 ... and/or magnets to reference elijah...

Graphic ScaleN 0’ 20’ 40’ 60’

701 Xenia Avenue SouthSuite 300Minneapolis, MN 55416www.wsbeng.com

Project #1165-830December 17th, 2013

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park Playground Project

Draft Preferred Concept Plan

Pre-School & Swing ContainerNew pre-school playground container built at the same level as the existing playground - Refer to Enlargement Plan

Nicollet Avenue

Nicollet Avenue

Park BldgPark Bldg

Freedom Form #2Freedom Form #2

Lower Level Playground Entrance:A small concrete plaza and seat wall create an entrance gathering area prior to the staircase leading up to the playground. At the base of the staircase is the Rev. Dr. Martin King Jr. quote, “Faith is taking the fi rst step even when you don’t see the whole staircase” (if approved by the King Center).Colorful peace poles designed by local community kids “Welcome All” in numerous languages behind the entry plaza seat wall.

Children’s Amphitheater & Stage:A small raised stage faces a shaped hillside amphitheater for kids to present speeches or for educational purposes (school fi eld trips, summer programs, etc.).

PoolPool

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B

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D

F E

G

H

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D Elementary ContainerNew elementary equipment installed in the existing play container - Refer to Enlargement Plan

C

E Seating A small plaza space allows room for benches or game tables with an overhead signage structure and is aligned as a focal point from Nicollet Ave. Various seating opportunities can include table tops with images and educational information, seats to refl ect bus seats for Rosa Parks’ contributions, and even some fi tness events to encourage physical activity for all.

F Upper Level Playground EntranceTh e main focal point of the walkway is the seating plaza and overhead signage. Colorful plantings are placed around the peace poles designed by local community kids that “Welcome All” in numerous languages. At the entrance into the playground is a quote in the pavement followed by the symbol of Unity in Diversity surrounded by images of kids holding hands encircling it.

Peace Stones:Stepping stones in the hillside contain quotes as you progress up the hill to the Freedom Form #2 sculpture.

G

Trail Modifi cations:Alterations in the trail alignments and grades allow for better accessibility to the playground from the upper and lower levels of the site.

HTabletop image idea by Shalette Cauley-Wandrick

“Faith is taking the fi rst step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” - Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Unity is strength

Peace starts with you

Share a smile





Draft Pre-School Container Enlargement Plan

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Sign/Sculpture

ActivityStation

Seating

Seating

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1 Swings

2 Pre-School Equipment: Imaginative play themed around African-American Inventors. Examples include:

• Refrigerated Truck: Truck with ice block climbers to reference our Minnesota inventor, Frederick Jones (refrigerated systems for trucks and rail cars)

• Space Th emed: Space themed events to reference Valerie Th omas (inventions of illusion transmitters & a NASA analyst). Th e theme could possibly be extended to include Ellen Ochoa (fi rst Hispanic woman in space & director at NASA), if suitable.

• Railroad Th emed: Events themed around the railroad and/or magnets to reference Elijah McCoy (mechanical engineering and lubrication systems), Granville T. Woods (inventions related to controlling the fl ow of electricity in railway cars and air brakes for trains), and Victor Ochoa (electric brake using magnetic attraction to slow trains)

Pre-School Equipment: Sensory play along main walkway and woven into other elements. Examples include:

• Sound: Playground pieces that make musical sounds or other noises. Also incorporate audio into the site to tell stories regarding history.

• Touch: Playground pieces with varying textures. Incorporate braille into historical/educational information. Tactile pavements and mosaic tiles can be used in the site.

• Visual: Colorful equipment and surfacing. Pictures and site signage that relay historical/educational information through text and QR codes.

• Motion: Playground events that off er varying motion, such as swings, spinning, rocking, etc.

• Neural: Symbols woven into the playground and site elements to create learning games and encourage use of short and long term memory stimulation.

3

Refrigerated truck playground equipment idea by Esther Osayande

Can you fi nd this?

Th is is the universal symbol for peace. Share peace with someone.

Paz = SpanishPaco = NigerianPace = ItalianTh ayu = KenyanSatta = Jamaican

Frede/Fridde = GermanKev tiaj tus = HmongFred = Norwegian/SwedeNabada = SomaliBangan = Ojibwe

Th ermo King





Draft Elementary Container Enlargement Plan

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Elementary Equipment: Th e Mountaintop themed around the Civil Rights Movement located along the main walkway and includes:

• Th e Mountaintop: Rock climbing equipment references the struggle to reach new heights and obtaining equal rights. At the top of the rock is a quote taken from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop. (if approved by the King Center).

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2

Activity Station

Seating

Elementary Equipment: Unique and challenging equipment themed around African-American history and the Civil Rights Movement. Examples include:

• Th e Edmund Pettus Bridge: A bridge walkway connecting the elementary structures could be designed to refl ect the Edmund Pettus Bridge in reference to the struggle for voting rights.

• Book Climber: A climbing event could be designed to look like a pile of books in reference to the struggle for the rights to equal education and the importance of being well educated. Th is can also include information on specifi c people such as Medgar Evers (eff orts to desegregate the University of Mississippi) and Horace Huntley (graduated from the U of M, was involved in the Morrill Hall demonstrations, and became a professor).

• Civil Rights Timeline: Th e bridge or walkways or even activity panels on the elementary structure can contain images and information related to the civil rights movements with key historical dates, events and people that made contributions. Site signage with information and QR codes can enhance the educational component.

Sculpture image by Seitu Jones

Section image shown is for illustrative purposes only and does not depict actual equipment or site elements chosen for the site.

Th e Early Years

Th e Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born Michael King Jr., named aft er his father, on January 15, 1929. His father became a minister and renamed himself in honor of the German monk leader and reformer, Martin Luther, whose work went on to start the Lutheran Church.

Th e Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King grew up in Atlanta, Georgia in a household deeply involved in the church and with an emphasis on education. He entered college at the age of 15 and was class valedictorian in 1951. To fi nd out more interesting facts on his struggles with rebellion and the ups and downs he went through during his early adulthood years, scan the QR code shown above.




Theming

Civil Rights

African-American History and Inventors

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Peace and Unity

Harmony (Mpatapo - reconciliation knot)

Peace

Diversity

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” - John F. Kennedy

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Th e following are potential theming ideas that can be incorporated into the site pavement, signage, poured-in-place rubber surfacing, and on site elements or equipment to enhance the educational and interactive component. Help us determine which theming approach is the most preferred and/or the most appropriate for the playground.

Green = Go - You have my support Yellow = Maybe Red = Stop - I would not support this

Dream

Respect

Red Hand Flag (reference to the African-American infantry in WWI)

Light Bulb (reference to inventor Lewis Latimer and his carbon fi lament)

Hair Brush (reference to inventor and self-made millionaire, Madam CJ Walker and her beauty products)

Cooperation (Boa Me Na Me Mmoa Wo)

Learning from the Past (Sankofa)

“Play is the highest form of research” - Albert Einstein

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” - Mahatma Gandhi

“Peace begins with a smile.” - Mother Teresa

“Life is too good to be mean to one another.” - Leon Patterson (Minneapolis resident)

Unity in Diversity (Funtunfunefu)

International Peace Symbol

“There are those who say to you - we are rushing this issue of civil rights. I say we are 172 years late.” - Hubert H. Humphrey

Equality

Integrate

Unity Symbol

Perseverance (Wawa Aba Seed)




What do you think? Green = Yes - Th is meets the goals and I support it Yellow = Maybe - I’ve submitted my comments Red = No - I would not support this

Draft Preferred Concept PlanDo you think the overall draft preferred plan meets the goals of the

project and the community based on the input provided?

Preferred Phase I PlanDo you feel the Phase I plan shown above would provide the community with a playground area that meets the goals of the project, though it may mean require

additional fundraising?

Alternative Phase I PlanDo you feel the Alternative Phase I plan shown above would provide the community with a playground area that meets the goals of the project if

additional funding annot be secured?

Peace and Unity symbols, quotes and theming ideas:

Received 14 green dots for: Go ‐ you have my support

Received 1 yellow dot for: Maybe

Received 4 red dots for: Stop ‐ I would not support this

African‐American History and Inventors symbols, quotes and theming ideas:


Received 1 yellow dot for: Maybe


Need to tell history of King Park ‐ division of the park. Unintended consequences ‐ how neighborhood (viewed) ‐ b/4 MLK too

I don't like the idea of inventors. I feel that we lose the focus on the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King. I like the sensory part.

We would like to see more diverse cultural symbols. The incorporation of the Maya and Ojibwe symbols is a step in the right direction.

Add information about Hubert H. Humphrey

Native symbols of the America's. Honor to the first Americans!! (Peace symbol) too cliché.

Received 4 green dots for: Yes ‐ this meets the goal and I suppport it (though it means placing equipment in existing locations)

Received 2 yellow dots for: Maybe ‐ I've submitted my comments

Received 3 red dots for: No ‐ I would not support this

Received 7 green dots for: Yes ‐ this meets the goals and I support this

No yellow or red dots applied

Theming Comments and Rating

Civil Rights symbols, quotes and theming ideas:


No yellow dots applied

Received 1 red dot for: Stop ‐ I would not support this

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. symbols, quotes and theming ideas:


No yellow dots applied


Preferred Phase I Plan Comments and Ratings

Received 10 green dots for: Yes ‐ this meets the goal and I suppport it (though it may mean waiting for additional fundraising)

No yellow or red dots applied

Alternative Phase I Plan Comments and Ratings

Community Meeting ‐ Draft Preferred Concept Plan Review (12‐17‐13)Draft Preferred Concept Plan Review Comments

Native symbols of the America's. Honor to the first Americans?

Would it be possible to locate both play areas in the lower elevation and the amphitheater up the hill?

I don't like the inventors. I want to see more of the "Front Porch" more about Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement with the pre‐school area. Swings with phases, music

about the civil rights movement.

It would be useful to incorporate design elements to prevent the little kids to access the elementary area. For example, a height pole so kids shorter than a certain height

might self‐police.

Would like more than 4 swings. Focus on equipment over symbols. Can't compromise play value for theme/educational information. Happy to wait a year to get full plan.

It would be wonderful to come up with design elements that allow older brothers and sisters to supervise younger children.

draft preferred concept plan - minneapolis parks mn 55416 ... and/or magnets to reference elijah...

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