Wendell Foster’s Sensory Park & Garden Overview

Construction is underway to create a unique Sensory Park and Garden on Wendell Foster’s Campus that is designed specifically for children, adults, and families from our community living with disabilities. This $1.1 million park will be available for our residents, outpatients, and other local people wishing to use this “total access” area. The park’s design and lay-out are conducive to a variety of needs, from active play to quiet relaxation.

Below: CEO Terry Brownson speaks at the
groundbreaking ceremony on April 28th...
(click to enlarge)
A particular feature of this project’s design is the central role played by the existing Young Meeting House in the overall plan. Psychologically considered to be the middle of Campus, the front doors of the Meeting House will open directly into the park, or more specifically, the outdoor meeting and event area of the park. This area then gradually flows uphill, creating an amphitheater that will allow for even larger community gatherings. As you know, we have been working hard to not only make the people we serve a bigger part of our broader community, but also to increasingly bring our community onto the Campus to meet and interact with the people living here.

The Centers for Disease Control alone says that 1 in every 150 children born is diagnosed with Autism or a related sensory disorder. Add to that the 3,000 people in this community who have other disabilities, whether they be developmental or the result of an accident or other sickness. Now think of the families of these individuals and the benefits a sensory park could provide.

Below: Bryant leads a prayer at the ceremony..

We see the completed park becoming a “destination” for regional families of children with and without severe disabilities who are looking for a pleasant, safe and educational place to bring their entire family for some outdoor recreational time. It’s these individuals, their parents and siblings, along with hundreds of others with special needs, whom we will also be serving through this project.

Phase One, will complete all of the desired utility and related work, and removal of the existing street from Triplett to the end of the park area. In so doing, several current pedestrian safety concerns will be addressed and the north and south portions of the Campus will be united

Phase Two, will install wheelchair trails in the park area “seat walls” in the meeting area, complete the environmentally-friendly “Bio-swale” and “Rain garden” elements of the design and add some of the site furnishings (e.g. benches, trash receptacles, flag pole.) This phase will give the area its basic park “feel” and prepare the site for the special amenities and attractions that are coming in Phase Three.

Phase Three, will then put the finishing touches on the park, including the special surfaces and equipment for the play and meeting areas, features such as the covered meeting area, the wheelchair accessible tree house, pond, and other items such as signage and sculptures. This is the phase during which we see the potential for significant community involvement (and potential cost savings). We are, for example, working with our architect to identify projects (e.g. raised gardens filled with donated perennials) that could be completed with volunteer labor. We can foresee individual donors and civic groups sponsoring parts of the design (e.g., a piece of playground equipment or an interactive sculpture.) This is the phase in which we move from having a nice open area, to providing a beautiful park and true interactive experience for people with and without severe disabilities.

View of Park

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Sensory Park

Wendell Foster’s Sensory Park & Garden Overview

Wendell Foster's Campus | 815 Triplett St | PO Box 1668 | Owensboro, KY 42303

Telephone: 270-683-4517 | Toll free: 877-932-2678 | Fax: 270-683-0079

Email: info@wfcampus.org

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