HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (LOOTPRESS) – The West Virginia Childcare and Landscape Architecture Association (WVNLA) will be opening a landscaped outdoor space for a nature learning environment at the Cavell Wayne Association for the Blind (CWAB), 38 Washington Street in Huntington, on Monday, October 16th. I dedicate it. , 10:30 a.m.
WVNLA funded the project, and members and volunteers designed and installed it. Pavilions and play areas offer children the opportunity to use natural objects to stimulate imaginative play and fun. This plan was later expanded to include rotating rockers and gliders to provide seating for patrons of all ages to enjoy a peaceful outdoor space.
Speakers at the CWAB dedication ceremony included:
- David Hill, former WVNLA president, designed the project.
- Toni Walls, Director of the Cabell Wayne Blind Association.
- Michael Bartholomew, former WVNLA board member, and his infant daughter received services there.and
- Terry Sanders Bouten’s parents were both blind and active in the CWAB.
Former WVNLA President Steve Sanders said his blind aunt and uncle were active in CWAB for many years and volunteered significant time, services and resources to his business, Sanders Lawn Care. He plans to attend its dedication ceremony.
Cabell Wayne Blind Association President Walls said the project will culminate the day after National Disability Month (October) and National White Cane Day (October 15).
“We at the Cabell Wayne Blind Association would like to sincerely thank WVNLA, Stephen Saunders, Dave Hill and everyone who collaborated on this project. We look forward to our friends enjoying this garden in many different ways. We have already seen consumers, staff and friends admire and enjoy this space,” said Walls. Told.
WVNLA Executive Director Julie Robinson said that at the end of each association president’s term, funds will be allocated to volunteer landscaping projects of their choice. She said past presidents David Hill and Steve Sanders contributed to this project, which has special meaning to many at WVNLA.Mr. Hill is certified in Natural Learning Environments. The designer and installer wanted to create a playground at CWAB in honor of former WVNLA board member Mike Bartholomew, whose daughter was born with severe eye problems .
Hill said her interest in natural playgrounds grew after she learned of research showing that children are losing the ability to play imaginatively. “Children’s days are filled with structured activities guided by their teachers,” he says. “In a nature learning environment, youth can create games and fun on their own using objects found in nature without any prompting. The seemingly simple setup is actually made of bright plastic will hold your attention longer than a play area filled with equipment.”
Steve Sanders added the presidential project assignment to the movement in memory of his uncle and aunt, Willis and Mary Ann Sanders, who were blind and active in the CWAB.
Robinson said the project has multiple stages and many skilled contributors. The concrete pad was poured, the pavilion was erected, and students from Hugh Roberts’ carpentry class at the Cavell Career and Technical Center assembled and installed the trusses. Mr. Roberts and his students also decorated the roof of the pavilion.
The first work session was on a sweltering 90 degree day. John Perry of Grass Busters used a Ventrac tractor and tiller to break up and remove the grass in the area. Volunteers removed clumps of grass, broken bricks and other debris. Some people pulled out the remains of a submerged horseshoe-shaped hole. Mark Springer of Lavalette Landscaping recalled installing the pit decades ago.
Once the grass was cleared, work began on digging, lining with cloth, filling and tamping the paths around the pavilion and quadrants. Currently, each department is forming a themed play area in the natural learning environment.
Saunders’ cousin Terry Saunders Bouten (daughter of Willis and Mary Ann Saunders) contributed significantly to the project, bringing along family and friends. “My mom and dad were blind,” Bouten said. “Her mother developed an eye infection in 1940 and lost her vision as an infant. Antibiotics began to be used to treat eye infections in 1941. Her father developed a rare eye infection that compressed the optic nerve. She said her parents met at the Romney School for the Blind and Deaf and eventually settled in Huntington, where she was active in the CWAB. That’s what it means. Bouten’s father has passed away, but her mother still lives in Huntington.
After Hill and Sanders delivered supplies to the scene, Sanders brought in a Bobcat, plate compactor and dump truck to remove the debris. Perry also provided a power rake and tiller. At the end of the first day, the soil was turned, landscape fabric was placed, gravel walkways were installed, and surrounding landscaping was planted.
Family, friends, WVNLA members and employees all worked together. Perry brought in six employees from Glassbusters to help, and Sanders had four employees from Sanders Lawn Care. Terracare landscape designer Eleanor Gould and her friend, landscape architecture student Maram Mushumouche, worked all day long, as did Mark Springer.
“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to help install this beautiful playground,” Gould said, adding that this is her first opportunity to work on a natural learning environment.
With the landscaping and framework in place, the playground features took shape at the next work meeting on June 11th. On that day, volunteers completed the following tasks:
- Wooden boxes for the sandbox and containers for loose parts in the Calm play area.
- The active play area includes a stump stepper, balance bridge, and tall logs, as well as a dirt slide, rocks, and rope rails.
- Benches in open grass play areas and other spaces.and
- planting of Sensory gardens are planted with fragrant perennials and shrubs with soft structures that attract butterflies and insects. Place log sheets throughout the area.
After the second work session, Sanders, Hill, Springer, and Bud Cottrill completed the remaining work to create a special place of tranquility and activity for CWAB’s clients.