Sandman Park becomes first inclusive playground in north Stockton, second in the city

The city of Stockton held a ribbon cutting ceremony at Sandman Park to celebrate north Stockton's first inclusive playground.

Stockton city officials, Stockton San Joaquin Lions Club, community members, and community organizations gathered on Tuesday in celebration of the new playground.

The purple, fuchsia, yellow, orange, colorful playground is "fully accessible and inclusive," city of Stockton officials wrote in a news release. The playground on Don Avenue includes separate play areas for children ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12.

Throughout the playground educational and fun activities can be seen like an analog clock with the question, "What time is it?" There's a "one line puzzles" activity, a "learn to read braille" where children can learn numbers and the alphabet, and even an activity to learn sign language.

"This new equipment speaks to physical, sensory, balance, special orientation, cognitive, auditory, tactile and imaginative development, with wheelchair accessible elements, such as ramps that are also play areas, sensory rails, a rocker platform, manipulative play elements, and a stability sanctuary," city officials stated in the news release.

For the kids

The park dedication came on the city's 174th birthday, July 23.

Lodi resident Maribel Maldonado told The Record she visits Sandman Park twice a week.

"My granddaughter saw it, she loved it. She just got so happy, and she's been waiting for it to open up," Maldonado said as she watched her 5-year-old granddaughter play on the new playground.

"It's nice to see something for kids because a lot of kids are on their tablets and phones now," Maldonado said. "So it's nice to see a nice new park where kids are excited to come and play and be outside."

In early January, Stockton City Council approved funding and plans for the project.

"There's even an escape platform where if kids get overstimulated or need a break, they can take a break," city spokesperson Connie Cochran told The Record on Tuesday. She also said that the parking lot was also resurfaced.

Chad Reed, Stockton's director of Public Works, said the project "was in the works for about four or five years."

"Children with different special needs can enjoy the different features in this playground," Reed said.

Over the years, Stockton parents have asked city leaders for another inclusive playground in the city. As of January, the playground at south Stockton's Van Buskirk Park was the only playground designed for children of all abilities, The Record previously reported.

Bags for Benches

Sandman Park also has a new recycled bench.

This was a result of the Stockton San Joaquin Lions Club "Bags for Benches" project that turns recyclable donations into benches. A bench dedication ceremony was held on Tuesday after the city's ribbon cutting.

"Today, we had our dream come true that the city allowed us to work with them to put a bench at this inclusive playground that means so much," Jennifer Gass, secretary and marketing chair for Stockton San Joaquin Lions Club and Bags for Benches said Tuesday evening. "Our club focuses on disability, multiple members have disabilities. We focus on vision, environment and youth and this playground just summarized that so well."

The new bench unveiled at Sandman Park is the seventh recycled bench, Gass said. There were 27 partners and individuals who helped them recycle for this one.

"We have to recycle 1,000 pounds in a one-year time frame to earn the bench," Gass said.

"I went to the city input meeting and a former member Douglas Vigil who is hearing impaired and I have been wanting a Helen Keller mural and an inclusive playground in Stockton for quite some time," Gass said. "To see it happen and to be able to tie it into our bags for benches project just leaves a little piece of our legacy here and it means so much."

Their first recycled bench was placed at Pixie Woods in September 2021, Gass said. The San Joaquin Lions Club will begin recycling for their eighth bench in September.

Their flyer states clean, dry items such as produce bags, cereal box liners, newspaper sleeves, bubble wrap, and more are some of the items that can be dropped off at one of their public donation sites starting September 1.

Stockton San Joaquin Lions Club "Bags for Benches" project public donation sites:

Burke Optometry, 441 S. Ham Ln., in Lodi

• 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday

Diamond Cove II, 5506 Tam O'Shanter Dr., in Stockton

• 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday

Dorothy L. Jones Center, 2044 Fair St., in Stockton

• 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday

For more information on the Stockton San Joaquin Lions Club visit stocktonsanjoaquinlionsclub.org . To learn more about the new all-access playground at Sandman Park visit stocktonca.gov/Parks .

Record reporter Hannah Workman contributed to this report.

Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ AngelaydetRocha . To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow .

This article originally appeared on The Record: Sandman Park becomes first inclusive playground in north Stockton, second in the city