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A school and a park district can create a better playground—and a useful neighborhood park—when they plan one shared site around both groups’ needs. The practical formula is to establish a real community need, invite residents and school users into the design, agree on access and operating responsibilities, select inclusive equipment for multiple ages, and match the capital plan to funding rules.
The Mark Twain Elementary School project in Wheeling, Illinois, shows how that approach can work. Wheeling Park District and Community Consolidated School District 21 (CCSD21) replaced an outdated school playground while extending public recreation to the Dunhurst neighborhood, an area without easy access to a neighborhood park. The account below is based on Lawrence Raffel’s 2018 American Society of Landscape Architects case study. Raffel was the park district’s Superintendent of Planning and a project participant, so it documents the partners’ process and reported benefits rather than providing an independent impact evaluation.
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What an everyone-wins playground partnership requires
A shared-use playground is more than a school accepting occasional public visitors. It is a jointly planned civic asset. The school needs a safe, age-appropriate setting that supports the curriculum, recess, physical activity and supervision. The park district needs a dependable public recreation resource that is reachable, welcoming and maintainable. Residents need to know when they can use the site, what activities are available and how conflicts will be handled.
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- Need: document the school’s deficiencies and the neighborhood’s access gap.
- Users: include students, teachers, staff, families, nearby residents and people with disabilities in the planning conversation.
- Program: combine inclusive, age-appropriate play with active and quieter recreation.
- Access: define public hours, school hours, supervision, closures and event use before drawings are finalized.
- Money: coordinate capital contributions, grants, procurement and long-term operating costs.
- Accountability: record who owns, inspects, repairs, cleans and evaluates each part of the site.
The Wheeling example is useful because the partners did not begin with a product list. They began with planning evidence, then used public and student input to shape the program.
Why Mark Twain Elementary became a strong shared-use opportunity
Wheeling Park District’s 2010 Community Attitude and Interest Survey identified a strong desire for improved neighborhood parks. In the district’s 2015 survey, nearly 20% of respondents who could recommend an action suggested more or improved parks and playgrounds. Lawrence Raffel reported that figure in the ASLA article published August 14, 2018; the article does not state the survey sample sizes or methods, so the percentage should not be treated as a complete measure of neighborhood demand.
The proposed service area lacked easy access to a neighborhood park. The school grounds were generally open to the public, and the park district already had an agreement to use the athletic fields. That made the campus a practical location for a broader recreation investment. However, the existing playground was described as outdated and substandard, with insufficient inclusion and accessibility and too little equipment for different age groups.
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How the partners gathered input before fixing the design
Wheeling Park District and CCSD21 developed a shared design concept instead of presenting a finished plan for approval. The park district brought design concepts, equipment choices and layout options to public meetings. Two listening sessions were held in November 2016. When school resumed in January 2017, the partners added a student design workshop.
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That sequence matters for any construction team or public agency. Each group sees the site differently:
- Neighborhood residents can identify barriers such as distance, lack of informal gathering space, poor shade or limited options for younger and older children.
- Teachers and school staff understand supervision lines, class transitions, recess patterns, storage and the kinds of movement or quiet space that fit school programming.
- Students can explain how equipment is actually used, which areas feel welcoming and where conflicts occur.
- Park staff can test concepts against accessibility, maintenance, programming, budgets and public operating requirements.
Use the meetings to make decisions, not merely to collect preferences. Show alternatives at the same scale, explain cost and maintenance implications, and publish a response explaining which suggestions were adopted or declined. A documented decision trail reduces redesign and gives the eventual users confidence that participation affected the result.
Designing for school, neighborhood and inclusive use
Raffel describes design goals that went beyond installing more play pieces. The concept was intended to support inclusive and age-appropriate play, active and passive recreation, health, school programming and community use. Those goals can be translated into a design brief before an architect or equipment supplier develops final plans.
Inclusive and accessible play
Accessibility should be planned as a continuous route and experience, not as one specialized item at the edge of the playground. Map accessible approaches, surfacing, transfer or ramp options, rest points, sight lines and routes between play zones. Include children who use mobility devices, children with sensory differences and caregivers who need to stay close to more than one child. Confirm that the final design and installation meet the codes and standards applicable to the project’s jurisdiction; the Mark Twain account does not provide a compliance schedule or technical specification.
Age-appropriate zones
Separate the developmental needs of toddlers, early elementary children and older elementary users without creating isolated islands. Use clear sight lines and transitions between areas. A school may need high-capacity recess circulation, while neighborhood use may include siblings of different ages arriving together. A balanced layout can provide challenging climbing or movement, imaginative play, low-height activities and places to pause.
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Active and passive recreation
Active features can support running, climbing, balance and fitness. Passive areas—seating, shade, planting, open lawn or quieter nooks—allow conversation, observation and recovery. These spaces also help caregivers and teachers supervise. Treat the landscape around the equipment as part of the program rather than leftover space.
Learning and social development
The case author says the completed playground extended the learning environment during school hours and offered activities intended to support fitness, creative play and social skills such as cooperation and sharing. Those are stated intentions and observations, not quantified outcomes. During planning, connect each educational goal to a use: for example, movement circuits for physical education, open-ended elements for imaginative play, and shared features that require turn-taking.
Timeline: from identified need to opening
| When | Decision or action | Why it mattered |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Wheeling Park District community survey identified strong demand for improved neighborhood parks. | Established a long-term planning need rather than a one-off equipment request. |
| 2015 | Nearly 20% of respondents who could recommend an action suggested more or improved parks and playgrounds, as reported by Raffel. | Reinforced the demand signal, while leaving sample size and methodology unspecified. |
| November 2016 | Two public listening sessions were held. | Residents and other community participants could shape the program and layout. |
| January 2017 | Student design workshop took place when school resumed. | Student experience informed equipment and spatial decisions. |
| July 2017 | Playground opened. | The school and Dunhurst neighborhood gained a renewed shared recreation setting. |
For a new project, build a schedule backward from the desired opening date. Allow time for needs assessment, site surveys, concept alternatives, listening sessions, accessibility review, grant applications, procurement, permitting, construction, inspections and staff training. Public engagement that begins after equipment has been selected is usually too late to change the most important decisions.
Write the operating agreement before construction
The published Mark Twain account confirms that the school site was generally open to the public and that the park district already had an agreement to use the fields. It does not describe a detailed maintenance, security or cost-sharing agreement for the playground. Do not assume those terms from the case. For a new partnership, put them in writing before bid documents are issued.
A practical agreement should answer:
- Who owns the land, equipment, surfacing, signs, fencing, lighting and landscape?
- What hours are reserved for classes, recess, athletics, camps or neighborhood events?
- When may the public use the playground during school days, evenings, weekends and holidays?
- Who provides supervision, and what happens when school and public programming overlap?
- Who performs daily checks, formal inspections, repairs, snow or leaf removal, litter collection and surface maintenance?
- Which agency carries insurance, receives incident reports and communicates closures?
- How are replacement reserves funded when components reach the end of their service life?
- How will the partners review access, user conflicts and condition after opening?
Assign a named contact and escalation path for each responsibility. A shared facility fails when each agency believes the other is handling an urgent repair or closure.
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Separate historical funding from current opportunities
The Mark Twain project received a reported $75,000 matching grant from the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association, GameTime and PlayCore. That was a historical award tied to the project. One grant condition was that the playground serve as a National Demonstration Site where data would be collected on inclusive play. Raffel’s account does not report the resulting data or evaluation findings, and the old grant terms should not be presented as currently available.
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| Funding reference | What is established | How to use the information |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Twain project grant | $75,000 matching grant; historical award associated with Illinois Parks and Recreation Association, GameTime and PlayCore; National Demonstration Site condition. | Use as a case example, not as a promise of the same amount or terms. |
| Community Champions offer checked October 13, 2026 | Applications due October 23, 2026; orders due October 30, 2026; contiguous U.S. eligibility; variable matching and extra freight and tax. | Verify the live official grant page, eligibility, product categories, deadlines and purchasing rules before committing funds. |
Make the funding schedule serve the project, not the other way around. Confirm whether a grant permits design fees, site work, accessible surfacing, freight, taxes, installation or only specified equipment. Keep a backup budget for costs the grant excludes.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A step-by-step playbook for a new partnership
- Define the service gap. Map nearby parks, walking routes, school enrollment, age groups and barriers to access. Combine that information with school facility needs.
- Form a joint steering team. Include decision-makers from the school district and park district, facilities and risk staff, educators, residents and student representatives.
- Agree on success criteria. Write measurable targets for accessibility, age range, public hours, educational use, capacity, shade, safety and budget.
- Run structured listening sessions. Present several concepts, collect comments by user group and publish how the feedback changes the plan.
- Develop the shared program. Locate active, imaginative, quiet and accessible uses; test supervision sight lines and school circulation.
- Resolve governance. Sign the access, maintenance, inspection, insurance, closure and replacement-reserve agreement.
- Build the funding stack. Combine capital funds, grants and community contributions only after checking eligible costs, match requirements and deadlines.
- Procure and construct transparently. Specify performance, accessibility, surfacing, drainage, installation, warranties, inspections and closeout documents.
- Open with a management plan. Publish hours, rules, contacts and closure procedures; train staff and schedule inspections.
- Review after opening. Compare use, incidents, maintenance costs and user feedback with the criteria established in step three.
How to measure whether the partnership is working
The Mark Twain article describes intended educational and social benefits but supplies no post-opening outcome data. A responsible new project should establish its own baseline and report results without claiming that a playground caused every change.
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- School value: classes or programs using the space, observed activity levels and teacher feedback.
- Community value: attendance at neighborhood activities, repeat use and resident satisfaction.
- Safety and condition: inspection completion, incidents, response times and recurring repairs.
- Equity: whether the intended underserved area is using the site and whether any group remains excluded.
- Finance: actual capital cost, grant match, annual operating cost and reserve contributions.
Publish the method, dates and limitations with the results. If a grant requires inclusive-play data, define the collection protocol before opening so staff can gather comparable information.
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Common failure points and practical fixes
One agency designs for its own users
Symptom: a school playground is technically open to residents but lacks welcoming access, seating or age range. Fix: make neighborhood use a stated design criterion and test the plan with residents before procurement.
Engagement happens after the layout is fixed
Symptom: meetings produce complaints but no meaningful design changes. Fix: show alternatives during concept design, when circulation, zones and equipment categories can still change.
Inclusion is reduced to one feature
Symptom: an accessible component exists, but routes, surfacing, shade or social access remain difficult. Fix: audit the complete journey from sidewalk or parking area through every intended play zone.
Grant money is mistaken for a complete budget
Symptom: freight, taxes, site preparation or maintenance create an unfunded gap. Fix: separate eligible and ineligible costs in the estimate and obtain written confirmation before ordering.
Responsibilities remain informal
Symptom: closures, inspections or repairs are delayed because neither partner is clearly accountable. Fix: execute the operating agreement and publish an escalation contact before opening.
What the Mark Twain case demonstrates—and what it does not
The case demonstrates a credible planning pattern: evidence of a neighborhood need, a school site with an outdated playground, coordinated work by two public agencies, resident and educator engagement, student participation, and a design intended to support both school and community use. It also shows that a partnership can turn one capital project into a broader neighborhood recreation asset.
It does not establish a measured increase in physical activity, academic performance, social development or park access. It does not provide the survey methodology, a grant agreement, post-opening evaluation data, or detailed maintenance responsibilities. Those omissions are reasons to design a stronger evaluation and operating plan for the next project—not reasons to overstate what this example proves.
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Raffel summarized the cooperative lesson in his case study: “So, yes, two heads are better than one and two public agencies cooperating—most definitely a win-win for everyone involved.” The durable version of that idea is practical: share the need, share the decisions, document the obligations and measure the results.
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