Family Sports Park, a 200-acre addition to O'Fallon, Ill., includes a two-acre adventure-themed play area with two sets of play structures, a "sprayground" splash pad for water play, and a shallow streambed with flowing water for nature-centered fun. A light broom finish on the concrete provides a durable, slip resistant surface beneath the rain tunnel, and colored concrete banding defines distinct spaces for the aquatic attractions.

The play area and splash pad at Family Sports Park in O'Fallon, Ill., has been a signature community destination since opening in 2012. Designed by Planning Design Studio (PDS), the two-acre adventure play area is located within a 200-acre sports park in O'Fallon, located about twenty minutes east of St. Louis. The site provides an oasis of play activities for all ages, kids and adults alike.

The "adventure play" area combines hardscape, lawn, dry areas, wet areas and multiple spaces and levels within a 400 by 200-foot area. The play area includes a splash pad with interactive spray ground equipment, a large group events pavilion, two traditional playgrounds with special features and two water stream features, all of which combine to create an aesthetic improvement to the the area that draws adults, parents and children of all ages.

Sprayground
The highlight of the playspace, especially in the summer months, is a 6,000-square-foot, fully accessible "sprayground" that includes a re-circulating water supply, treatment and filtering system. A surge tank and equipment vault sits below grade. The sprayground and stream features share the same water supply, treatment and filtering system.

The spray space contains a variety of embedded low-flow and aboveground high-flow play features, arranged to provide areas for age separation as desired by users. Younger children can start out playing in the areas of lower flow features and progress to higher flow features as they gain confidence. The primary surface materials at the spray ground are coated in a light broom finish concrete, with colored concrete banding to define spaces and skill levels.

The water serves as a central organizing element, flanked by the shaded pavilion, dry playgrounds and stream features. Boulders for seating connect the spray ground, pavilion and stream, establishing a theme throughout the site.

The design team, led by PDS principal Daniel Bockert, used the sprayground as a central organizing element flanked by the pavilion, dry playgrounds and stream features to create a unique setting for daylong fun. The adventure playground is accessible from the ball field and soccer complexes, and is connected to the park's three miles of greenway trail system, lakes, open space, parking, and is only 500 feet from a comfort station and concession facility.

Younger children can start out playing in the areas of at-grade, lower flow features and progress to higher flow features as they gain confidence.

Stream & Riverbed
Water features adjacent to the sprayground emulate a natural stream setting, including weirs and mini-waterfalls constructed of natural, weathered boulders, and have become as popular as the spray area.

Sheets of water fall from the "Rain Drop" (Raindrop Products), one of multiple aboveground water features. The spray space contains a variety of embedded low-flow and aboveground high-flow play features, arranged to provide areas for age separation as desired by users.

The natural materials and shallow, constantly flowing streams attract the children and engage them in imaginative and interactive play. It is common for parents and children to gather in groups throughout the stream features when playing.

The stream features ledge stone and a rounded river stone streambed, over which flows shallow, fast-circulating stream water. The design objective was to provide moving water without ponding or significant depth for safety reasons. The intertwined design of the stream and sprayground provide a non-traditional approach to water-based play.

Kids enjoy cooling down in the south stream during the hot Illinois summer. The water recirculation system, shared by the streams and the splash pad, includes a surge tank, filtering system, chlorination, UV treatment and a turnover capacity that exceeds Health Department criteria.

Play Areas
Constructed as part of a Phase III park expansion that also included nearly two dozen sports fields, the play area was planned and implemented with several key design features and directives from O'Fallon's Parks director, Mary Jeanne Hutchison, who encouraged the design team to include comprehensive features while pushing the envelope and crafting a signature aesthetic for the park.

The design objective for the stream was to provide moving water without ponding or significant depth for safety reasons. Elements include ledge stone and a rounded river stone streambed, which support the shallow, quick-moving stream water.

The two dry playground areas, one for ages 2-5 and one for 5-12+, use WEEVOS and EVOS play systems from Landscape Structures to provide children with unlimited and imaginative ways to use the nontraditional play components. A synthetic playground turf was used for the safety surfacing to provide lower to mid-range head injury criterion (HIC) values for up to 12 feet of fall zone protection, as well as fast drying times following an Illinois rainstorm. Accessible play components were installed at ground level to ensure children of any ability level can enjoy the park.

The play area is accessible from the ball field and soccer complexes, and is connected to the park's three mile trail system. Two sets of play structures, a WEEVOS system for ages 2-5 and an EVOS system for ages 5-12+ (Landscape Structures), are adjacent to the splash pad and streams.

Plantings & Picnic Tables
A large open shelter with picnic tables and drinking fountains providing shade and community gathering space, centrally located to provide views of the sprayground, north and south streams and both play areas. Additional gathering spaces throughout the two-acre site provide observation points and supervision sight lines crafted in the master plan. The shelter and gathering spaces are easily defined for special events, while a dearth of fencing keeps the park open and inviting.

The landscaping includes predominantly native species to reduce maintenance requirements. A rain garden was installed for water quality and pretreatment of surface water runoff, and enclosure plantings provide a buffer and visual separation of the play spaces. Finally, shaped earth berms provide gently sloping topography to enhance the sense of space in the parking area.

Play area plantings emphasize native species to reduce maintenance requirements. A rain garden was installed to improve water quality and pretreat surface runoff, and enclosure plantings provide a buffer and visual separation of the play spaces.

Elements were carefully laid out to maximize individual play areas, while creating distinct outdoor spaces that encourage free-flowing activity from zone to zone. An interconnected concrete walkway system connects the different activity areas, ensconced within an outer walkway that stretches ???(R)???AE???(R)?-mile in total. The design and park construction required the satisfaction of specific public health and safety parameters in order to earn approval from the state and county health officials.

The freestanding spinner and net climbers at the 5-12+ playground were installed above artificial turf surfacing (Forever Lawn), with a sub-base design crafted to be easy on the feet and safe for falls.

Scope & Awards
Bockert has been working with the city of O'Fallon for over a decade, completing the town's original Parks Master Plan in 2000. This led to a parks master plan update in 2012, and three phases of implementation that culminated in the finished Family Sports Park. PDS served as the project manager and primary site designer from conceptual design through final design documents as well as construction period services.

Detailed coordination with other members of the project team was essential for the designers, including civil and structural engineers, architects, fountain, turf and irrigation consultants, as well as a construction manager that was hired by the Owner as their day-to-day representative during construction.

PDS received an Honor Award from the St. Louis chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects in February 2013 for outstanding design work on O'Fallon's Family Sports Park and Spray Ground.