Sault Ste. Marie's first intergenerational playground swings will be installed at Rosedale Park if conceptual designs released Tuesday night receive city approval.
Images of the proposed park upgrade, supported by $140,000 in contributions from Kiwanis Club of Lakeshore, Childcare Algoma and Kiwanis Club of Sault Ste. Marie, were displayed at the former Rosedale Public School at 90 Chapple Avenue.
The plans include using fill excavated during the project to heighten an existing grassy berm in the park, allowing for improved winter tobogganing.
They also showed innovative playground swings that allow a parent and child (or grandparent and grandkid) to experience each other’s facial expressions at eye level while swinging.
"Research tells us when a parent and a child's eyes meet, particularly during play, there is an intense and significant moment of emotional bonding that occurs," says the company.
"Scientists call this 'attunement' and it enhances the social, emotional, and cognitive well-being of both children and adults."
The new playground equipment will be installed more or less in the same location as the existing Rosedale playground, Virginia McLeod, the city's manager of recreation and culture, told SooToday.
Other proposed changes include new benches and trees throughout the park, and a new pathway providing a route to the parking lot.
Construction at the park is slated for this summer and fall.