The non-profit is seeking the community’s help to raise funds for its accessible playground project at Lake Antoine Park in Iron Mountain. The total estimated cost is $400,000 for the two-phase plan.

“We have already made great improvements around the park, but this is our biggest project to date,” LAPP Treasurer Ann Hruska said. “We recognize the great need for more accessible play space.”

The updated playground will add 3,100 square feet to its two existing play structures along the beachfront. This new equipment will include two zero-transfer pieces, along with sensory panels, a music station and communication boards. A cushioned, synthetic turf surface will be laid below the equipment for safety.

In addition, a new concrete sidewalk will be paved to connect the new space to the beachhouse, along with adding more handicapped parking spaces.

DANIELSON INSURANCE AGENCY of Kingsford recently presented Lake Antoine Park Partners with a $1,000 donation for the “Everyone Plays” playground campaign. From left are Sara Pericolosi, AT/AAC specialist; Joe Stevens, Dickinson County commissioner and Parks Committee chair; Ann Hruska, LAPP treasurer; Nancy DeKoster, LAPP board member; Shana Thompson, Danielson Insurance agent; Barb Kramer, LAPP vice president; and Allison Lucier, LAPP president. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

“It’s our dream that all generations — 2 to 100 — will be able to utilize and enjoy the space together,” Hruska said.

To date, LAPP has received $147,874 in grants and donations toward its first $200,000 goal. Hruska noted they will need to raise the remainder by September to complete its 2025 plan.

Phase I equipment purchases this year will focus on the swing and music/sensory areas.

“The keystone piece is the We-Swing,” Hruska said. “It’s the one that truly says all inclusive.”

The swing allows for wheelchair users to swing without the need to transfer from their mobility device.

A GRAPHIC RENDERING by Landscape Structures of Delano, Minn., shows what some of the equipment will look like in the inclusive playground Lake Antoine Park Partners wants to establish in Lake Antoine Park. LAPP has launched an “Everyone Plays!” fundraising campaign for the playground, which will cost an estimated $400,000 to purchase the specialized equipment, synthetic turf surface and construct.

The We-Swing features an open area and a bench seat to allow everyone of all abilities to play together. The swing can also be operated from inside or outside the unit.

The second half is designed with two bays with traditional and Flexx swings, one of the company’s newest accessible pieces of equipment.

The Flexx is a hammock-type swing that allows users to lay down.

“The shortfall of the current playground was there are no swings, and people kept asking for them,” Hruska said.

The accessible music and sensory section will be located between the edge of the play area and sidewalk. This will also include communication boards that will benefit nonverbal visitors, making for easier transitions within the park.

Some of the musical pieces will include large chimes, drums and metallophone.

“The panels selected include a variety of sensory benefits,” Hruska said.

The artificial turf under the whole system will create maximum safety and accessibility.

One of its several layers is foam that is put down according to the level of fall height.

Hruska explained the cost of the synthetic turf equals the cost of the swings.

“But it’s a very important part of the project, because that is what makes it truly accessible,” she added.

Hruska said playground equipment will be ordered by the end of June, with construction to begin after Labor Day.

Phase II — set for 2026 — will be to expand the section in front of the current toddler playground to feature two zero-transfer pieces, We-Saw and We-Go-Ground.

The whole space will be integrated when completed, she noted.

To ensure the new playground benefits as many people as possible, LAPP reached out to a variety of expert sources in the community, including special education teachers.

Joining the committee was Sara Pericolosi, assistive technology/augmentative and alternative communication specialist for Altshift, a Michigan Department of Education grant-funded initiative through the Office of Special Education.

“The communication board we selected has the entire 26 letters of the alphabet, which is very important for the non-speaking visitors,” she said. “This is any type of device or tool that can help non-speaking or those who do use verbal speech all the time.”

Pericolosi added they are creating a space that everyone can access and play — really communicate with each other.

Hruska noted it was Pericolosi’s input that shifted the accessible playground from the beachhouse area to its current location. “If you want to be an inclusive playground, you need to be in the same spot,” Hruska said.

LAPP officially kicked off its fundraising drive for the new playground last summer with a $50,000 grant from the Toro Greenspace Enhancement Program, in local partnership with BOSS Snowplow. The funds will sponsor its We-Swing.

Joe Jaeger, director of financial planning and analysis and Giving Project Team, said Toro’s objective with their grant is on making a better Earth by improving the land and water.

“This is a perfect example of the way Toro wants to run this initiative,” he said.

BOSS Administrative Coordinator and Co-Giving Project Ambassador Amy Ermi added that their mission is the same as Toro’s — to enrich the lives, the land, the communities and industries served.

In addition to the Toro grant and the more than $16,000 from Dickinson County 100-Plus Women Who Care, they received a $24,000 grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation and $10,000 from the Dagenais Foundation.

Anyone who wants to support the campaign can donate on the website at www.lakeantoine.org. LAPP Facebook page or scan the QR code. They will also have counter donation boxes at several local businesses.

“We welcome and appreciate any donation, big and small,” Hruska said.