CAMBRIDGE, Mass. ?EUR??,,????'??? Eight years after opening, Fresno?EUR??,,????'???s Oso de Oro Lake Park - a groundbreaking advance in fully accessible, multi-use recreational space - has made the shortlist for the sought-after Innovations in American Government Award, receiving a $10,000 grant as one of 15 finalists in the highly esteemed competition. The program is now eligible to win $100,000 in what is often referred to as ?EUR??,,????'??the Oscars?EUR??,,????'?? of government award programs. With a pioneering design, the 10-acre park combines flood-control benefits with outdoor recreation, wildlife education and an early California history theme, creating a place where children of all physical abilities can enjoy a myriad of enriching activities together. Most traditional parks and equipment exclude wheelchair users from play areas, restrooms and aquatic activities. So when Fresno?EUR??,,????'???s Metropolitan Flood Control District could not find a satisfactory prototype on which to base its park design, it launched an imaginative public-private partnership to design the park from scratch. Working with an all-volunteer citizen team, the District Board developed bold designs and financed their implementation with help from the community, public funds, volunteers and grants. The result: a park that opens doors for disabled citizens while shutting out floods. Built inside a stormwater detention basin, Oso de Oro Lake Park makes superb use of the site to combine an array of thoughtful features that serve the entire community, including: ?EUR??,,????'???? A stream, as well as a lake that provides groundwater recharge ?EUR??,,????'???? Observation platforms where children can view aquatic habitat and wildlife ?EUR??,,????'???? Two interpretive mazes providing tactile art, with paths, textures and colors to provide sensory stimulation for the visually impaired ?EUR??,,????'???? Gently sloped walkways designed to support physical therapy and athletic training ?EUR??,,????'???? Play equipment adapted to various physical mobility levels and padded for safety ?EUR??,,????'???? Murals by local artists reflecting milestones in early California history ?EUR??,,????'???? Fort and adobe ruins, and a reconstructed mining town with a gold panning area ?EUR??,,????'???? Fully accessible restrooms Gowher Rizvi, Director of the Institute for Government Innovation at Harvard University?EUR??,,????'???s John F. Kennedy School of Government says that Oso de Oro Lake Park has become the benchmark for creating recreation facilities. ?EUR??,,????'??This park has established a standard of excellence for policymakers and park planning professionals nationwide,?EUR??,,????'?? he said.