The landscape of inclusive play in northern Colorado has undergone a profound transformation with the grand opening of the Berthoud Adaptive Park at 885 Tenderfoot Drive. What began as a local mother’s simple inquiry to a neighborhood developer snowballed over five years into a $1.6 million community-driven masterpiece. Spearheaded by Lauren Bowling and her 9-year-old son, Miles, who has cerebral palsy and relies on a wheelchair, the new park redefines public recreation by ensuring that children of all physical and cognitive abilities play side-by-side rather than in segregated spaces.
Hundreds of local families, community leaders, and accessibility advocates gathered this month for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which featured echoing cheers, the ring of laughter, and cups of ice-cold lemonade. For families accustomed to navigating playgrounds that offer little to no accessibility, the park represents a monumental leap forward in civic design and social inclusion. Featuring specialized wheelchair-accessible swings, ramps, transfer-seat slides, and innovative camera-activated games, the Berthoud Adaptive Park serves as a physical manifestation of a community’s commitment to equity.
The Genesis of an Inclusive Vision
The project’s origins trace back to a common parental desire: wanting the world for one’s children. When the Bowling family first moved into a newly developing neighborhood in Berthoud, Lauren Bowling recognized an immediate architectural shortcoming in the local public spaces. Her son Miles, though cognitively and verbally typical, is dependent on a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy. Bowling initially approached the neighborhood developers simply to ask about incorporating accessible features into the neighborhood’s recreational areas, specifically requesting a swing equipped with a safety harness.
When the developer quoted a $9,000 price tag for the specialized equipment, Bowling did not back down; instead, she volunteered to raise the funds herself. Inspired by her determination, the developer made a pledge: if Bowling could raise the money, the company would match it dollar for dollar and install the equipment free of charge.
Seizing the opportunity, the Bowling family organized a modest neighborhood garage sale and set up their first lemonade stand in July 2021. That initial effort yielded an unexpected $11,000, far exceeding their immediate goals. Recognizing the broader appetite for an inclusive space—and fueled by the developer’s offer of a larger plot of land and a connection to premier park designers at Star Playgrounds—the mission expanded rapidly. What started as a quest for a single accessible swing evolved into a campaign to construct an entire multi-million-dollar adaptive park.
A Five-Year Chronology of Community Determination
The realization of the Berthoud Adaptive Park followed a meticulously documented timeline of grassroots fundraising, civic engagement, and iterative design:
- July 2021: The Bowling family hosts their first lemonade stand during a neighborhood garage sale, raising $11,000 for accessible playground equipment.
- 2022: A second annual lemonade stand generates $13,000. Developers (initially Edwards Development, later transitioning to Farmstead) commit to expanding the project scope, offering a larger plot of land and partnering with Star Playgrounds.
- 2023: Community fundraising efforts accelerate, bringing in an additional $17,000 through the annual lemonade stand, alongside growing contributions from grants, corporate donations, and auxiliary fundraisers hosted by other local children.
- 2024: The lemonade stand tradition continues, adding another $13,000 to the coffers. In total, more than $50,000 of the ultimate $1.6 million project budget is raised directly through the family’s signature lemonade stands, with Miles taking an active role in public speaking engagements to advocate for his peers.
- Late 2024 to Early 2025: Construction reaches its final phases. The park takes shape with a distinct red-barn aesthetic, incorporating advanced safety surfacing, fencing, and specialized equipment.
- Current Month (2026): The Berthoud Adaptive Park officially opens to the public, marking five years, one month, and nineteen days since the project’s inception.
Comprehensive Design and Innovative Accessibility Features
Designed by Star Playgrounds in collaboration with municipal leaders and accessibility experts, the Berthoud Adaptive Park incorporates state-of-the-art engineering to eliminate physical barriers. According to Star Playgrounds CEO Erin Starr and co-owner Mark Ashland, the primary pillars of designing a truly inclusive playground involve comprehensive ramping, secure perimeter fencing, ground-level base play elements, uniform safety surfacing, and abundant shade.
The park diverges significantly from traditional playground designs through a myriad of specialized amenities:
- Wheelchair-accessible swings and swings outfitted with secure support harnesses.
- Elevated play structures equipped with wide, gradual ramps, allowing wheelchair users to reach heights previously reserved for ambulatory children.
- Camera-activated games that reliably register movement from wheelchairs, replacing traditional motion sensors that frequently fail to detect seated children.
- Continuous handrails and handlebars installed throughout the play zones to offer stability for children with varying motor control.
- Slides featuring dedicated transfer seats to ease the transition from a mobility device.
- Integrated recreational spaces, including a permanent lemonade stand and DJ booth, shaded picnic areas, a zipline, and a merry-go-round designed for universal access.
Crucially, the park’s layout avoids the pitfall of physical isolation. Rather than placing accessible equipment in a separate corner, the designers wove inclusive features directly into the core of the park. This layout allows children like Miles to navigate the grounds alongside his brothers, ensuring that play is a shared, communal experience.
Emotional Reactions and Community Impact
The human impact of the Berthoud Adaptive Park was immediately visible during its opening weekend. Brad Steward, a father from nearby Longmont, brought his 13-year-old son Leo, who also has cerebral palsy and dystonia and uses a wheelchair. Steward noted that the visit marked the first time Leo had ever experienced that altitude on a play structure.
“I never thought I’d get emotional at a playground opening, but this is truly life-changing,” Steward remarked, emphasizing the broader philosophical necessity of universal inclusion regardless of physical capabilities.
Berthoud Mayor William Karspeck underscored the outsized impact that a single family can achieve within a municipal framework. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Karspeck addressed the Bowlings directly, noting that children who historically watched from the sidelines now possess a dedicated space to join their peers in exploration, laughter, and play.
For Lauren Bowling, the journey represents the power of asking a simple question and finding a community ready to respond. Reflecting on the process during the opening ceremony, she noted that over a thousand individuals stepped forward to offer assistance, financial support, and encouragement.
Broader Implications for Regional Infrastructure
The opening of the Berthoud Adaptive Park arrives amid a broader regional shift toward universal design in northern Colorado. When Lauren Bowling first began her advocacy five years ago, families seeking accessible recreational facilities faced arduous commutes of 45 minutes or more to neighboring cities such as Fort Collins, Greeley, or Westminster.
In the years since the initiative began, municipal awareness has risen measurably. The Town of Berthoud renovated its central Town Park to include an ADA-accessible playground, while the city of Loveland opened Willow Bend Park in 2025, featuring several accessible amenities. The proliferation of these spaces indicates a paradigm shift in urban planning, moving away from ADA compliance as a mere legal minimum and toward radical inclusion as a standard community asset.
Furthermore, the park serves as a model for public-private partnerships. By bridging the gap between municipal land allocation, private development capital, corporate matching grants, and grassroots fundraising, the Berthoud project demonstrates a viable financial blueprint for municipalities seeking to upgrade public infrastructure without relying solely on taxpayer funding.
Looking Forward: Sustained Advocacy and Community Engagement
Even with the park successfully completed, the Bowling family’s advocacy efforts show no signs of slowing down. Miles and his family intend to maintain the tradition of hosting annual lemonade stands at the park’s permanent "Smiles Lemonade Stand." However, rather than funding construction, future proceeds will be directed toward charitable causes close to the family’s heart. During the opening weekend, donations raised at the stand were directed to Freedom Service Dogs, honoring Miles’s personal service dog, Ravioli.
For Miles, the physical presence of the park in his own neighborhood represents the ultimate victory. Able to independently operate the wheelchair platform swing via a pull-rope system and freely navigate the grounds with his friends, the 9-year-old offered a succinct summary of the achievement: "It is the best thing ever."
As cities across the country grapple with the challenges of making public spaces equitable, the Berthoud Adaptive Park stands as a testament to the fact that systemic change often begins in the simplest of ways—with a parent asking a question, a developer willing to listen, and a community refusing to leave any child behind on the sidelines.
