by Heather Lebus

	Brightly colored play structures add definite impact to a city park. This GameTime playground installed in Sugar Grove, IL features an all-welded galvanized arched climber, curved slides, and two porthole panels.
	Curvy slides thrill children on the Miracle Recreation play structure, which features sit-down safety canopies that promote safer sliding.
	And, "fire engine" panels, rung ladders, and crawl-through tires impress future fire fighters on the GameTime fire truck Each playground rests upon a soft bed of loose-fill-engineered wood fiber.
	This Miracle Recreation play structure (top, left) takes center stage at Grassland Elementary School in Brentwood, TN. Six slides and six decks guide youngsters across 77 sq. ft. of recreation.
	Heavy-duty polyethylene panels comprise the Park Structures climbing wall, which encourages children to develop strength while stimulating their imaginations.
	The colorful panels on the Pirate Ship encourages younger tots to climb, play and develop their sense of adventure.
	A wooden Kompan Pirate Ship is one of the attractions at Chicago's newly completed Senka Park. The structure displays 2 side panels with crawl holes, a short slide, a boarding net, 2 steering wheels, and of course, a mast with flag.
	The landscape design of the 12-acre park features two play areas, various athletic fields, and a spray pool.
	The Harvey Randall Wickes Children's Playground was initiated to provide a community play area in the center of Saginaw, Michigan.
	This unique design utilizes site features and land forms-- rather than traditional play equipment-- as recreation sites, incorporating the colorful theme of Crayola crayons into the entryways and play areas.

Schrickel, Rollins and Associates (SRA) was the Prime Consultant working directly for the City of Euless. From the preparation of the park and recreation master plan and the site selection for The Parks at Texas Star and the adjacent golf course, to the application preparation for funding assistance from the State of Texas-- SRA Landscape Architects led all other design professionals including planners, civil engineers, surveyors, structural engineers, and MEP engineers.

The nostalgic theme of the park adds to its aesthetic appeal. The covered bleachers resemble the old-time ballparks. Each field is named after a historic ballpark. In the firm's research of the old ballparks, the team found that one of the most unique features is the scoreboard. The scoreboard for each field is designed to resemble the old scoreboard of the ballpark that it is named after. A wooden outfield fence is covered with hand-painted nostalgic advertisements. The restroom/concession building (complete with clock tower) matches the style of the bleachers. An arbor covers the entrance walkway, adding shade and interest. Ticket booths on each side frame the entry gates. A cast aluminum star emblem appears consistently on all of the architectural features.

Other family-oriented recreation facilities include: a "supersized Little Tikes playground"; a batting cage and basketball/softball training facility; separate designated warm-up areas; a restroom/concession/storage building with clocktower; three soccer fields; lighted sand volleyball courts; and various amenities for trails, a fishing pier and a fitness court. To complement its world-class athletic facilities, The Parks at Texas Star also includes a custom-designed pavilion that sets the architectural theme for the park, and provides a shaded space for team celebrations, family reunions, and other events.

In addition to the other parks, the recreational complex includes the Texas Star Golf Course and extensive conference facilities. The entire complex of athletic fields, the park, golf course, and conference facilities is known as The Texas Star Sports Centre. Under the direction of Project Manager Victor Baxter, ASLA, Phase II design is now in progress. Baxter explains, "The most rewarding aspect of this project was to see our clients get truly excited about the work. Enthusiasm grew and grew. During some of our meetings, they were wide-eyed and caught up in the excitement of creating something unique and different. By the time the bids came in, there was no turning back." He continues, "Don't misunderstand. They asked hard questions, and they expected frank and concise answers. But they grabbed hold of the concepts and did everything in their power to make the project happen. We truly became teammates."

The city created The Parks at Texas Star Committee that consisted of representatives of sports associations, the park board, staff members, and the city council. Numerous meetings were open to the public. SRA worked with the committee to develop support in the community and consensus among the committee members. Primary issues focused on determining the construction budget and schedule, and deciding which facilities should be included in the first phase of the project's development. Baxter enthuses about the excitement of the grand opening of the park. "On the day the parks opened, it was exciting to see parents and kids walking in with an excited look on their faces, and to hear a hushed 'wow' as they walked by. Our clients were also there-- grinning from ear to ear."

The park won the first and only award for which it has been submitted-- the 1998 Dallas-Fort Worth Directors Association Innovation in Park Design Award. And, it has certainly attracted attention throughout north central Texas for the quality of experience it provides for its users. Project Director Terry Cheek, ASLA, explains, "The challenge of the parks was to listen and to interpret the dream held by the committee, community services manager, and the city managers. With concept plans, refined site master plans, and sketches of the proposed facilities, our most important role was to convey confidence to the committee that the dream was 'do-able.' We also produced very detailed project schedules and opinions of probable costs that demonstrated how the multiple facilities and construction contracts were dovetailed into a program of phased design and construction. It was an extremely challenging project."

Indeed, those challenges have not only promoted the use of the park-- but the profession of Landscape Architecture itself. In fact, one of the old-fashioned billboards on an outfield fence panel will acknowledge the role of SRA as a Landscape Architecture firm. For Cheek, "The greatest reward is to see people using the parks and hearing how much they enjoy it. I think that the citizens of Euless are truly satisfied and proud of the way their city's resources were applied to create this unique project." This project is certainly a positive demonstration of the breadth and depth of the abilities of Landscape Architects in designing first-class recreational facilities. lasn