SOLON — At the intersection of River Birch Run (essentially an extension of East Main Street) and Cedar Bend Drive in the Windmill Estates housing development sits a brand new playground making a total of three non-school playgrounds owned by the City of Solon after it was donated by Windmill Estates, Inc.
“We wanted to have a park, and it’s an ‘agility-type’ playground for the kids,” said John Schmidt, President and CEO of E&J Electric and E&J Geothermal in Solon. John and his wife Kendra, and Terry and Christine Brosh, donated the money to install the playground equipment. John noted there was a requirement for a park in the housing development, which is a common requirement by city and county planning and zoning boards and commissions with an eye toward creating greenspace in new developments. However, the Schmidt’s and Brosh’s decided to go a step farther and put a playground on the site. “We donated the land quite a while ago, and finally donated the equipment,” he said. The City Council accepted the donation at their October 18 regular meeting. “It took over a year-and-a-half, almost two years, to get the equipment. Other than the long wait, it was a nice project.” John added they waited until all of the various parts were on-hand before beginning the installation.
While the playground has the traditional swings, John describes the “agility playground” as having “more technical things,” for example there are things to climb, and pedestals for kids to jump from one to another. “It gives kids a little more balance and what-not, and there are the more regular swings (including infant swings) and slides. All items in the playground are surrounded by special wood chips (certified specifically for playgrounds) 1-foot deep to provide a safe, soft surface.
The new playground fills a void in the community, John said. “We’re on the northeast side of Solon and there wasn’t a playground on this side of town. There’s one on the southeast side (near the Dairy Queen) and then we have Randall Park on the west side.”
On a sad note, Terry Brosh died on June 2, just a few weeks before the playground was completed. “He was definitely a big part of the project,” said John, “and he didn’t get to see the finished project, which is very unfortunate.” But on a happier note, “It’s 100% complete, it’s ready for kids to use, and it’s for everybody.”
A brand new “agility” playground sits at the intersection of River Birch Run (an extension of East Main St.) and Cedar bend Drive adjacent to the pond in Windmill Estates on the northeast side of Solon. The equipment was donated to the City of Solon.