Dublin achieved a major feat toward its goal of making city recreation facilities more accessible to all residents last week when it officially opened Imagine Playground, the Tri-Valley s first all-abilities playground.
A new Imagine Playground, designed to be accessible to children with special needs, is now open at the Dublin Sports Grounds.
The $5 million renovation at the Dublin city park also includes an all-inclusive picnic area, upgraded landscaping, parking facilities, pathways providing easier access to the sports fields, and a new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant restroom facility.
The city reached out to individuals and organizations that work with people with special needs to design the playground, including Dublin Unified School District special education teachers, Little League Baseballâs Challenger Division, and the local School of Imagination. The city also sponsored booths at events in 2018 to ask residents what they would like to see in the new all-abilities playground design.
The Dublin Unified School District is set to become the next Tri-Valley district to return to in-person learning after nearly a year away due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the city s youngest children set to return on March 18.
While some trustees called the $184 million shortfall a clear case of under-budgeting, the board unanimously called for an independent audit to get to the bottom of what happened at their next meeting in February. I don t want an audit to take away from moving ahead but at the same time it does appear there is a lot of public outcry for such, Trustee Dan Cherrier said during board discussion. We re asking for a forensic audit, Cherrier said, and explained that a forensic audit looks into a whole range of things. It s looking at what it is that we stated we were going to do and what decision led to what, what money was accrued and allocated, and was it spent in accordance with that, Cherrier said. It s a whole look at the entire operation. It goes beyond the financial audit we just had.
Dublin Unified School District director of elementary education Curtis Haar won more than $27,000 and a trip to Iceland on the Jan. 21 episode of the classic TV game show "Wheel of Fortune."