Albert "Ray" Massey Park (Westside Park)

The Albert “Ray” Massey playground is Gainesville’s first “boundless” or fully inclusive playground that enables access for all ages and abilities. Inspired by the adjacent NW 8th Avenue Solar Walk public art installation, the brightly colored playground boasts a space-themed motif. Its largest play feature, the “Space Station”, is designed with ramps and flat surfaces so that visitors requiring mobility supports, such as crutches or wheelchairs, may easily maneuver throughout the sprawling structure.

Other features, including the swings, slides and spinners, are designed for care providers to more easily assist those with varying levels of mobility. A colorful walkway at the south end of the playground features activity boards to help develop fine-motor skills. A variety of physical, social and sensory elements were also incorporated into the design, including a communication board to support the communication needs of visitors with differing abilities.

The Albert “Ray” Massey Park playground also is the city’s first fully lighted playground enabling visitors to use the play area after sunset in seasons with fewer daylight hours.

Improvements to baseball fields 1 and 2 included field regrading, new “performance” turf, reconstruction of the ramp to the scorer’s platform, a new ADA accessible viewing area over field 1 and erosion stabilization measures. The southernmost parking lot entrance was permanently closed to minimize vehicular traffic adjacent to the children’s playground and reduce congestion and the associated safety concerns at the intersection with NW 8th Ave. The parking area was reconfigured to provide 20 new parking spaces, dedicated bus, scooter and motorcycle parking and triple the number of ADA spaces. 

Location

1001 NW 34th St, Gainesville 32605  View Map

29.6598659,-82.37173849999999

1001 NW 34th St , Gainesville 32605

1001 NW 34th St , Gainesville 32605