ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A group of parents is teaming up with a St. Louis-based non-profit to build an inclusive playground in west St. Louis County.
Organizers hope to start construction and build the new inclusive play space in Queeny Park as soon as possible.
The playground at Queeny Park in Manchester was built in 1974. Today, it's covered in caution tape and closed off to the public due to safety concerns. It's been this way since August, 2023.
One mother, Erin Gooch, is on a mission to turn the playground into a fun and safe space for kids of all abilities to play.
It all started when she took her now 8-year-old son, Teddy, who has dwarfism, to a Zachary's Playground in Lake St. Louis. It's an accessible play space.
Teddy said he had so much fun on the playground because he could use all the equipment.
"They can play on things that are accessible for them!" he said.
"Teddy got in the car and he goes, 'Mom, that was the best day ever,'" Gooch said. "I said, 'It was? Tell me more.' He says 'I could do everything by myself and you didn't have to help me.'"
Jan. 4 is Teddy's birthday. When our reporter asked him what he wanted this year, he said he wanted his "dream playground to come true."
“Normally I’m out there, holding him and lifting him on any other regular, non-accessible playground," Gooch said. "With these types of playgrounds, the kids really have more independence, which is very critical at that age."
Erin teamed up with the local nonprofit Unlimited Play, a group that has helped build nearly 100 inclusive playgrounds across the country, and in the St. Louis metro area.
Together, they created the plans for the Teddy & Friends Inclusive Playground, a board game-themed playground.
The playground costs a total of $3.2 million to build. St. Louis County has given $600,000 to the project.
But, Erin and Unlimited Play are still in need of $1 million.
"The design is done, the equipment is ordered," Gooch said. "We just need to raise the last million dollars so we can start construction."
Unlimited Play said this project is slightly more expensive than previous ones they've completed, but the goal is to include top-of-the-line, ADA-accessible equipment and infrastructure to make this a destination play space for metro-area families.
The new playground will have specially-made swings, ladders, and ramps to get to the top of even the tallest slides so kids who use wheelchairs can slide down too.
"We kind of figured out what would be best for all kids to play, with or without any limitations," Gooch said.
The equipment is pricey, but organizers say a great deal of the money is needed to fix outdated infrastructure and build accessible bathrooms and new walkways at Queeny Park.
The work is a labor of love for Unlimited Play's Executive Director Natalie Mackay, who built Zachary's Playground at Hawk Ridge Park in 2007 for her son, Zachary.
Zachary passed away two years ago.
"I was often asked if I would continue this work once Zach passed," she said. "I couldn't answer that question. Now, I'm so grateful for a beautiful legacy that continues every project that we do.
"When he passed, I received beautiful emails from people I've never met," she added, "including one father who says 'Natalie, you've never met me. But, my wife and son with a disability went to Zachary's playground and came home in tears because it meant so much. So, you know what I did? I sold my house and we moved closer to Zachary's.' I'm grateful for a little boy who lived a life that has inspired such kindness and beauty and will continue to do that."
Natalie said the group plans to meet with St. Louis County this month to finalize construction plans. Fundraising efforts continue for the last $1 million needed to get it all done.
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