Kids Castle Closes Temporarily To Build More Inclusive Play Areas

Doylestown PA

15 September, 2021

4:57 PM

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DOYLESTOWN, PA — The Kids Castle playground in Doylestown is expected to be closed for the next three months as volunteers work to make it more inclusive and accessible. The playground closed last week after Labor Day and is tentatively scheduled to reopen in late December, according to Joe Salvati, who chairs the Friends of Kids Castle committee. Volunteers will be making major upgrades to Kingdoms 2 and 3 of the four-kingdom playground. Both kingdoms are set to get expanded play areas with new structures for children of all abilities and a new, safer surface, Salvati said. Peace Fair To Showcase Bucks County Nonprofits, Artists The two kingdoms make up about half of the playground and sit either side of the playground's entrance. When Kids Castle reopens, Kingdom 2 will be designated for children ages 2 to 5. It will have an interior fence to keep smaller, younger kids safe while the older children can continue to "run around freely" in other areas of the playground, Salvati said. 15 Central Bucks Students Named National Merit Semifinalists Kingdom 2 will have two "Spring Riders," a "Pup Tent Climber," a two-seated "Tot Swing" and a "Challenger Play Structure" that includes a slide, as well as play panels to explore, he said. Kingdom 3 is set to get a 7-foot tire swing and a 10-foot swing set with four seats, including one that is designed for additional accessibility, he said. Improvements will also be made "beneath the surface," Salvati said, with crews to install subsurface drainage pipes, retaining walls, a stone subbase and more. Boy Finds Grenade In Bucks Co. Backyard During Treasure Hunt Kingdom 4 reopened in November 2019 with a new play structure for children of all abilities and a new playing surface, Salvati said. Those renovations and the ongoing upgrades are the result of the Friends of the Kids Castle's "Build the Kingdom" campaign, which is focused on rebuilding the playground to surround the castle with new play pieces. Volunteers for the campaign have raised more than $193,000 in donations to fund this phase of upgrades. "The overall goal and vision is to create an inclusive, fully accessible playground so that kids of all ability have a place where they feel welcomed, can play together, and at their own skill levels while having fun," Salvati said. Grace Packer Legislation Aims To Protect Foster Kids The upgrades are meant to better serve children with visual and hearing impairments, mobility challenges, autism and sensory processing disorder, and cognitive disabilities, he said. Kids Castle opened in Doylestown in June 1997. Its initial construction and subsequent renovations have been completed by volunteers with funding from community donations, Salvati said. Kids Castle closed temporarily in March 2013 so volunteers could renovate the aging playground. The castle was saved, but all wooden play structures on the playground had to be removed, Salvati said. It reopened six months later with thousands of community members on hand, he said. Those who are interested in donating to support Kids Castle can find more information here.