A rededication ceremony will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. on Monday, March 27 at River Heritage Park, 11813 River Road, Carmel, to celebrate the newly reimagined park. Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation (CCPR) will commemorating the park’s focus on inclusive and accessible play during Disability Awareness Month.
The rededication will include brief remarks from community leaders and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. An American Sign Language interpreter will be present, and the event will be live streamed on the CCPR Facebook page (Facebook.com/carmelclayparks).
Attendees will have an opportunity to tour the park’s innovative features, including new playgrounds for everyone, accessible trails, White River overlooks, and an updated shelter.
In June 2001, River Heritage Park was dedicated as “Everyone’s Playground,” where children of all abilities could play. This park sparked CCPR’s focus on making accessible play the standard for all parks. Universal Design, which ensures spaces are intentionally designed for accessibility and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, is now a guiding force for all CCPR projects. When the River Heritage Park was reimagined in 2022, CCPR renewed the park’s focus on accessible play.
Klitzing
“River Heritage Park was CCPR’s first accessible playground,” CCPR Director Michael Klitzing said. “The once first-of-its-kind park helped define the department’s mission to be an inclusive, innovative steward of the community. During the planning process, we prioritized expanding the park’s focus on accessibility.”
Renovations were made possible by the Clay Township Impact Program (ClayTownshipImpact.com).