Red Bluff’s Big Splash Project – Creating An Inclusive Place For Children Who Love The Water

Sidelined by the pandemic, and now back on track

Over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a tremendous toll on local businesses and community endeavors, and The Big Splash – Red Bluff Splashground Project was no exception. The project was initially slated to be completed in 2020, but efforts came to a virtual standstill last year.

The pandemic “definitely took the wind out of our sails,” says Vici Miranda, chairperson of The Big Splash Project, explaining that the group had to reschedule or cancel most fundraising events. Now that COVID-19 restrictions are easing around the North State and beyond, the project’s organizers are eager to pick up where they left off.

Local parks lacked accessibility

Parents of children with special needs often have a hard time finding accessible and safe places to play in and enjoy the water in the community. For Vici, this experience was the catalyst behind the Big Splash Project. Her son, Preston, is diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy, has right-sided weakness, and lacks height and depth perception. Though he loves the water, Vici and her husband found that their local parks lacked the accessibility that Preston needs. Some, she says, could even be dangerous for children with disabilities. “Most of our parks here just aren’t doable,” she says.

The dream of a fun, safe place for children

Vici’s dream was to create a fun, safe place for children with or without disabilities, to revitalize local parks, and for the “community to come together and build a park that the community could be proud of.”

In 2018, Vici partnered with Soroptimist International of Red Bluff — a group she’s been a part of since 2005 — to help her vision become a reality. Since then, the project has expanded from an inclusive splash park to plans for an entire park and playground.

Creating a splash park for the whole community

Soroptimist President Cynthia Olsen is excited about this project that will benefit the whole community. “I think it’s the possibility for children of all ages and capabilities, being able to just have fun in the water. It’s that kind of activity that’s so important,” she says.

Splash parks offer summer fun to all kids by eliminating the dangers posed by the deeper pools found at water parks. They can also accommodate water access for those with medical equipment. Inclusivity means going above and beyond basic Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance to ensure equal opportunities are available for everyone. The Big Splash in Red Bluff will provide a fun, safe and sensory experience for people of all abilities.

Many splash parks — including the one coming to Red Bluff — use universal design, which means they’re designed to be fundamentally accessible to everyone without making adjustments to any equipment. Most splash parks are also created with children’s sensory needs in mind. Sounds of water splashing, a variety of water movement and pressures, a variety of textured materials, wheels and other moving elements; and bright colors provides kids with sensory integration in a fun way.

Splash parks are a great alternative to water parks

Since water safety is a huge issue for kids with special needs, splash parks are an excellent alternative to water parks. They don’t have the same risks as deep swimming pools because there is no standing water.

Designed by the company Raindrop, the splash park in Red Bluff will have features such as a level playing surface that is fully rollable for kids who use wheelchairs or have issues with climbing. It will be a solid smooth surface with ground jets, overhead sprays, and misters, all of which have different levels of force in the water.
Vici explains that different sections of the splash park will be targeted for different abilities. “The younger toddler area will have smaller, less pressurized features, and the opposite end would be for bigger kids and the adventurous kids with the bucket drops and the cannons and higher pressure ground sprays,” she says.

Hoping for a grant to add more features

Earlier this spring, the City of Red Bluff, Soroptimist International of Red Bluff, grant professional Amy Schutter, and Melton Design Group collaborated to submit a CA Parks Prop 68 Grant Application to allow a makeover of the whole park. The group is hoping for an answer by the end of the year.
In addition to the splash park, the makeover would include another playground and some fitness stations, a walking trail, pickleball courts, farmer’s market pavilion amphitheater, event pavilion, and new parking lot. If they’re not awarded the grant, they will continue with a scaled down project that focuses directly on the splash park.

Fundraising efforts start again this summer

Past fundraisers for the project have included school coin drives, Mimosas on Main, Chocolate Fantasia, and a Princess Ball event. The pandemic halted most fundraising efforts; the only possibility was online raffles, which brought only a fraction of their previous fundraising drives. Now that many restrictions are lifted, the group hopes to pick up its fundraising efforts and start holding events again this summer, including last year’s most successful event, a co-ed softball game planned for July.

Vici says it’s been great to have the support of the community as well as the Soroptomist group. “We just really, really love how this project has brought the community together and working on a common goal. Everybody is really excited, you know, about creating something new. And it’s been really great to see the community come together for a fun new project.”

For more information about the Big Splash Project, visit redbluffsplash.com or visit the BIG SPLASH-Red Bluff Splashground Project Facebook page.