Kayla's Playground in Franklin reopens with a revamped surface

Sunshine filled the air July 1 as families eagerly stood at the Franklin Woods Nature Center Pavilion's entrance to Kayla's Playground , which was just about to reopen after a needed renovation to the surface.

It may not seem like a huge change, but the surface of the playground is a part of what makes Kayla's Playground special.

Kayla's Playground utilizes a special, soft surface

The founder of the playground and Franklin Parks Commission Ambassador Program Coordinator Michelle Runte said the playground was designed to be accessible to mobility aids and supportive of people with disabilities. This includes having smooth surface available to navigate.

To achieve part of this goal of an inclusive, accessible play area, when the playground was built in 2015, Runte opted for a smooth poured-in-place, or PIP, bonded rubber stone surface.

She noted that the wheels on some mobility aids and strollers cannot easily navigate the wood chips commonly found as ground cover on playgrounds.

Runte was inspired by her daughter, Kayla Runte , to build this playground. However, not in the way one would typically be persuaded to take on an endeavor.

Kayla Runte died in August 2012 at the young age of 8. She was diagnosed with hypotonia ― or decreased muscle tone ― and cerebral palsy when she was an infant. Despite these diagnoses, her family and friends made her life vibrant and fun.

"I felt a calling to build this playground with Kayla’s help and the help of the community," Runte said.

After the playground opened, Runte noticed that older people with mobility concerns also benefitted from the accommodations the playground provided. She said the softness of the surface and ease of navigability lessens the concern about a fall.

"(Kayla) taught me the view as a caregiver, the view of a person with disabilities who relies on a wheelchair or on a walker," said Runte. "That also open doors for families to spend time together with a stroller. I mean, they all have wheels."

Previous surface had become a safety concern, mayor says

According to Franklin Mayor John Nelson, the previous floor wore down over the past nine years and was an "overwhelming" safety concern.

"It took us a couple of years to get the (planning) done," said Nelson. "It's built to last much longer than the previous floor."

Nelson said the surface renovation took a month to complete and was funded by a combination of city participation and private donations. The lowest bid for the project came in at a bit more than $200,000, according to Runte.

Franklin Alderwoman Courtney Day said the project came in under budget from what the city had projected. She said, however, that she hasn't yet viewed the invoices, so exactly how much under budget is still unclear.

Day and Nelson said although June is the month that most schools release for summer break, the city chose to do the renovation that month because the temperature and weather were ideal for the PIP to firmly set.

"When they initially did the playground, it was not really the optimal time of year, and there were a lot of temperature swings and a lot of rain," said Day. "In theory, that may have helped contribute to it wearing out a little bit faster than it would have under other conditions."

Project got support from city officials

Both Nelson and Day praised the playground for its enrichment of the community.

"We've lived in this area for over 10 years, so Kayla's (Playground) has been here as my little guy's been growing up," Day said about her own child. "He's aged out of a lot of this now, but I have a 3-year-old at home who does have some special needs, so this is an excellent place that we know we can bring her where she'll be safe, and she can use all the equipment."

"We are very proud and very blessed for the community to have this as part of our identity," said Nelson. "We will make sure this is a staple for many, many decades to come."

Runte also partnered with the Franklin Police Department, the Franklin Health Department and the Franklin Public Library for the original construction of the playground.

The police department is an extra set of eyes on the park as far as maintenance goes, as well as the usual serving and protecting part of their job.

The Franklin Health Department was represented by Public Health Specialist Ellen Henry, who was handing out flyers about the Franklin Playground Passport.

The passport program is run by the Health Department to promote the health benefits of walking, playing, enjoying and preserving parks in the community.

Children can visit at least one of 10 playgrounds in Franklin, answer a question about the park correctly and turn in the passport to be entered in a raffle for a prize.

The Franklin Public Library is providing books for a Little Free Library at the park, too.

The Franklin Public School District partnered with the construction of Kayla's Playground by recruiting members of the National Honor Society to help with the initial building.

Runte said, "It was nice to have a blessing from Father Aaron this morning, from my home parish of Saint Mary's in Hales Corners. That really was where it all began."

Kayla and the beginning

The beginning of the Kayla's Playground happened after the end of Kayla Runte's time on Earth.

Kayla's time here, although brief, was filled with the love of her family and friends.

Michelle Runte said that Kayla participated in Girl Scouts, enjoyed spending time with her friends and loved music.

Even though she was nonverbal and had physical disabilities, Kayla was still able to communicate with those around her.

In a document detailing some of Kayla's life, Michelle said that Kayla learned to make decisions with a "yes" or "no" response by looking either left or right. Left was "yes," right was "no." She learned to control her environment with cause and effect switches placed near her temple. She could turn on music or play with a toy using these switches and buttons.

To fundraise for the initial construction of Kayla's Playground, Runte mobilized the support team in Kayla's life and mission, Kayla's Krew.

Kayla's Krew sold butterfly hair clips to people around the community. The hair clips were worn by people to support Kayla and the building of the playground. Some clips even made their way to Guatemala when Kayla's first grade teacher and member of Kayla's Krew board, Amanda Mix, made a trip there.

Since Kayla's friends were important to her, Michelle wanted to build the playground as quickly as possible, so they could enjoy it before they became an age that they wouldn't want to spend time on it.

"Her friends were actually going into second grade when we were raising funds for the playground, so it was really important to capture that time frame of play," said Michelle.

To this day, people in the community still wear their butterfly clips to support Kayla and other people with disabilities who are welcome at Kayla's Playground.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Kayla's Playground in Franklin reopens with a revamped surface