Emily Peterson is a squeaky wheel.
The good kind — no grease required.
The Healdsburg mom, through perseverance, patience and the force of her infectious personality, has championed major improvements for local schools or her hometown.
Her latest mission was front and center Monday, when dozens of residents, including a handful of Girl Scouts and students from Santa Rosa Country Day School, came to persuade the Healdsburg council members to support Peterson’s effort to bring a new playground to the city.
And not just any playground. She’s championed an inclusive site that would enable kids with physical or behavioral development disabilities the chance to experience the health benefits of outdoor play without the barriers that traditional outdoor playgrounds sometimes pose.
Her inspiration is her daughter, Aisley, a smiling brunette born with Cornelia De Lange Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes a distinctive set of physical, developmental and behavioral symptoms.
Traditional playgrounds, with stairs, climbing structures and raised platforms can be difficult for Aisley.
“Badger Park is my neighborhood park and I’ve shared how inaccessible it is,” Peterson said. “It’s layered with bark, which is awful for everyone. Toddlers throw it and when Aisley rolls in it, it gets stuck to her clothing. The time is now — not just for my daughter, but for all others who struggle in a world not designed for them.”
The council was persuaded, voting 4-0 to partner with the Palo Alto-based Magical Bridge Foundation. Mayor Evelyn Mitchell was absent.
The Healdsburg playground will be the first of its kind in Sonoma County, said Magical Bridge founder and Chief Executive Officer Olenka Villarreal.
“Magical Bridge exists to create a new kind of public playground to include the needs of the whole family,” Villarreal told the City Council. “A playground should be a place where everyone comes together no matter their ability or disability.”
Magical Bridge playgrounds, for starters, steer clear of bark. The playgrounds include seamless, spacious pathways and soft-fall ground surfaces. Play areas and structures include wide slides, adult-sized bucket swings and a wheelchair-accommodating carousel. Playgrounds often include a “kindness corner” for reflection, signs for those with sensory challenges, hideaway huts for quiet retreat and ample shade — often a vital missing component of local playgrounds. They also feature a wheelchair-accessible playhouse and stage to encourage imaginative play.
“Our definition of inclusive means everyone,” Villarreal said.
The Magical Bridge playground is a component of the redevelopment plan for 11-acre Badger Park. Whether it replaces the current playground or complements it will be determined through the feasibility study carried out by the foundation. As endorsed by the council Monday, the foundation will be responsible for planning, designing and building the park; the city will not be on the fiscal hook.
“I want to thank Ms. Peterson for bringing something so wonderful and making it hard to say, ‘No,’” Council member Ron Edwards said. “Being a Baby Boomer and having playgrounds in the ’60s designed to kill us, it’s nice to see we’re thinking about our kids in a different way.”
The council also embraced the future playground as a way to attract families from other parts of the county and the North Bay to Healdsburg, as Magical Bridge playgrounds do in other cities. Council member Ariel Kelley attested to the appeal of the playground, noting that when her son was a toddler, she visited Magical Bridge’s first playground in Palo Alto.
“I was blown away by how he was able to interact with that playground in a way that was different from other playgrounds where he was mostly sitting on the bark,” she said. “I remember being really struck, seeing kids of all abilities and ages being able to play in an inclusive way in this playground.”
Vice Mayor Chris Herrod noted that a playground built on values of inclusion and diversity would make it “something the community is really going to embrace.”
Peterson is also confident the community will step up to support the park.
“I know the community is generous and we have lots of people that can sponsor,” she said.
The foundation has received a $500,000 donation from a local nonprofit that wants to remain anonymous. Kelley said she serves as an unpaid volunteer for that group.
Once the foundation moves into design phase, the two parties would work to solicit public input through in-person and online town halls.
“I want to make sure this is a two-way street,” said Council member David Hagele.
Badger Park currently includes two dog areas, a picnic area, community garden and one of the city’s most popular playgrounds. The southern portion of the park abuts the Russian River, creating an opportunity for extended riverfront access in the future.
The city has scheduled a Nov. 3 council meeting to discuss the park’s redevelopment plan.
No definitive timeline exists for the new playground. The deal between the city and foundation calls for a 15-month fundraising period.
City Manager Jeff Kay said the city can amend the deal as long as the project continues to move forward.