In Clear Lake, Iowa, the outdoors offer something for everyone. In October 2023, the city opened Everybody Plays Inclusive Playground. It’s an accessible park that features equipment designed with people of all ages and abilities in mind. Kids can engage safely and fully with one another as they climb, slide and bounce on colorful, sensory-rich equipment.
In November 2023, Alliant Energy donated funds to install tables and benches at the playground, all compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ACA). They’re the latest addition to a project years in the making.
Everybody Plays Committee member Christina Maulsby proposed the idea to the Clear Lake City Council, but challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic delayed construction for about three years, according to the Globe Gazette. Clear Lake Mayor Nelson Crabb told KGLO News he visited a similar playground outside another town in east-central Iowa and thought it was “really neat […] The only part I didn’t like about that was it was clear out in the country somewhere, where this [Everybody Plays] is brought into town. If we’re talking all-inclusive, this is a real appropriate place for that.”
Alliant Energy also funded ADA-compliant benches and tables at another Clear Lake site, the Outlet Recreation Complex. It’s a new recreation area that includes a nine-hole disc golf course, soccer fields, a paved trail, a picnic shelter and a fenced dog park. The city intends to add amenities and features to improve the park on an ongoing basis. The benches and tables are one such addition, but they won’t be the last.
The new seats allow parents and caretakers at both parks to watch kids from a comfortable distance. They also make spaces for family and friends to visit and picnic.
“Alliant Energy is proud to partner with Clear Lake and its community leaders to improve the quality of life for residents,” said Leah Rodenberg, senior community affairs program manager with Alliant Energy. “We are excited the new playground equipment will connect children of all abilities in the community.”
As a company focused on community safety and engagement, Alliant Energy is proud to contribute to these two new, vibrant playscapes.
