Miracle Playsystems 2018 Designing Play Catalog
2018
MIRACLE
CREATE
FUN!
D
E
S
I
G
N
I
N
G
P
L
A
Y
CREATING FUN
PLAY ENVIRONMENTS TO
ENRICH COMMUNITIES
PLAYGROUNDS | OUTDOOR FITNESS | SITE AMENITIES | SURFACING | SHADE | SPECIALTY CONTRACTING
CREATING FUN
PLAY ENVIRONMENTS TO
ENRICH COMMUNITIES
CREATING FUN
PLAY ENVIRONMENTS TO
ENRICH COMMUNITIES
CREATE
FUN!
ELEPHANT PLAY - SEASTAR
HAGS &
UPC PARKS
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
FRIENDS OF DIMAGGIO PARK
CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
2
Miracle Playsystems is your leading play equipment
design, distribuon, and specialty contracng firm,
providing communies with unique and visually
stunning design soluons.
Our dedicated team of design and construcon sales
experts will help you through each phase of your
project, ensuring the utmost quality, value, and the
outstanding customer service. You will always have
one reliable point of contact through the whole
process when you work with Miracle Playsystems.
Our creave staff connually educates clients on the
newest trends in playscape design and cost effecve
ways to use them.
With over 30 years in the industry, we are the exclusive
supplier of top recreaonal products, including
Miracle Recreaon, Elephant Play, UPC Parks, Rocks
and Ropes, and HAGS -- our clients always have lots
of opons to choose from.
Designing compliant playgrounds and providing
exceponal customer service are always our primary
concerns. Creang fun and excing playgrounds to
enrich communies is our passion.
be
be
be
be
inspired
informed
better
you
CREATE
FUN!
3
share
your
vision
Our team of regional account
mangers and designers will
work with manufacturers and
engineers around the world to
make that vision a reality.
4
Express your unique style
12 YOUR VISION
Bring us your vision and our team will
work with you to make it a reality.
Our in-house design staff are well
versed on understanding how to
work with your site conditions to
provide responsive solutions.
We provide designs for all budgets -
no matter how big or small.
18 YOUR FUNDING
Is your vision greater than your
budget? We can recommend
fund-raising and cost saving tools
to help you reach those goals.
20 YOUR PROCESS
If you’re ready to get started on your
project and don’t know where
to start, we have compiled tools
to help guide you through it. Our
goal is to make the process of
planning and purchasing a
playground fun and easy.
5
e inspired
play for all
PLAYGROUNDS | OUTDOOR FITNESS | SITE AMENITIES | SURFACING | SHADE | SPECIALTY CONTRACTING
6
Ignite the imagination
22 PLAY FOR ALL
Every child deserves to feel exhilarated
and experience new sights, sounds and
textures. We offer a variety of products
that provide accessibility and
sensory benefits to create a truly
inclusive playspace.
28 PLAY ANYTHING
Our custom design team can give you the
support you need to develop
unique designs to meet today’s ever
changing compliance requirements.
30 PLAY ANYWHERE
Sometimes you don’t need a structure,
just an imagination. We believe in creating
fun anywhere. Play should be something
that can happen as part of daily life, not
just on the playground. We can help you
develop unique designs to fit any location.
32 PLAY ENVIRONMENT
The fun doesn’t stop with the play
equipment. We offer playful product lines
to complete any play environment. Share
your inspiration with us and we’ll help you
create it.
7
e informed
Site
furnishings
8
Knowing is half the fun
36 PRODUCT OFFERINGS
We make every effort to carry all the
products you’ll need when you
are designing your play environment.
Our offerings include:
Play Equipment
Outdoor Fitness Equipment
Dog Park Amenities
Site Furnishings
Shade Structures
Safety Surfacing
Something else? Just ask.
38 WHAT’S NEW ?
Playground design is an ever changing
and evolving art. Our staff works to
keep you updated on the most current
trends and innovative design solutions
coming to market.
46 WHAT’S NEXT ?
We believe play design is approaching
a new era of innovation. Inspired by
play historians, artists and landscape
architects we hope to push the
boundaries of play design. Through the
world of art and design culture,
together we hope to carve a new path
for designing the world of play.
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10
Never stop innovating
52 QUALITY AND DURABILITY
Our manufacturers hold numerous
national and international patents and
have demonstrated their individuality
and technical edge.
54 BUILDING COMMUNITY
Know that when you work with the
Miracle Playsystems team you are
working with an organization that is
committed to giving back to the
community through service and
sponsorship.
56 LOCAL REPRESENTATION
Our local staff includes sales and
customer service professionals, licensed
specialty contractors, and designers
with backgrounds in Landscape
Architecture and education, making it
easier for us to understand all of your
needs. Our expertise gives us the ability
to manage your projects from beginning
to end with integrity, making the process
seamless and easy on our customers.
BERESFORD PARK, SAN MATEO, CA
MILLER COMPANY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
11
our products
2-5
years
Net
play
5-12
years
Site
furnishings
Sport courts
E mbank
m
e nt
Linked
Play
Music
Play
Play
Outdoor
Fitness
Nature
play
safety
surfacing
12
Bring us your vision and our team
will work with you to make it a reality
BERESFORD PARK ,
SAN MATEO
MILLER COMPANY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
bring us
your vision
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
MILLER COMPANY
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
CITY OF SAN MATEO
Express yourself
Each project is unique. Maybe
your vision is for an all inclusive
play area, maybe it is for an
adventure play area for a green
program, maybe you want it to
feel like a tree house or a Bug’s
Life or a Miwok village or an old
ghost town. It can be hard to
determine what is possible and
navigate the required standards.
That’s where we come in. If you
bring us your ideas we will help
you get there.
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We take the time to get a thorough
understanding of our projects in order to
provide informed design solutions
OSAGE PARK,
DANVILLE
CALLANDER ASSOCIATES
“This has got to be the project (of all the ones we’ve
documented) that brought in the most high praise from
parents. Literally ‘everyone’ at some point pulled me aside
and raved on how wonderful your playground is, how
they’ve been waing for something like it, with all it’s fun
secons. You all did it again!!” Billy Hustace
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Site Specific
Our in house design staff are well
versed on understanding how to
work with your site conditions
to provide responsive solutions.
We consider each site and provide
custom designs based on our
customers desires and their unique
site constraints.
bring us
your vision
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
TOWN OF DANVILLE
CALLANDER ASSOCIATES
LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURE
The Old Town and Rail theme is
successfully conveyed in play equipment
customization, surfacing, audio
elements and setting.
- Dave Rubin, Callander Associates
The biggest challenge was working within the
context of the old play area and reserving as
much budget as possible for play equipment
and not infrastructure and edges. For that
reason, Callander Associates kept the existing
walls and accentuated them by wrapping it
into the play design. The Town wanted to
refresh the existing play area, but keep with
Old Town theme that was already established.
Custom surface mount posts were created in
order for the structure to be able to connect
to an existing wall Sound panels were
customized to be specific to theme – One
with different sounds of a train and a second
that is specific to sounds of an old town.
The landscape architect was able to provide
mp3 files to choose their own sounds. Town
and Railroad Station signage and signal were
each created based on the ideas from the
landscape architect. This included a Hotel
Sign, General Store, Jail, Bank and a Saloon.
Train Station details included a custom
clock tower, luggage station and signal. To
complete the theme, Mining Train Car and
handcar spring riders were customized from
satndard components.
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Bring us your vision
and our team will work
with you to make it a
reality
17
e you
Finding Funding
Is your vision greater than your budget? We have fund-raising
and cost saving tools to help you reach those goals.
Donor solicitaon can be a great tool to help your community fundraise to create an extraordinary
play environment. Our team has worked with community groups, schools and public agencies to
help them improve their playgrounds and park facilies. We have seen many organizaons ulize
creave and innovave ways to solicit funding for their projects. Here are some examples of great
tools to help you get started with solicing funding.
Donor booklets
Develop a booklet to share with potenal donors to describe your vision for the
park and provide an explanaon of what they will receive as a recognion for their
donaon.
donor
programs
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
City of San Francisco,
Friends of Lafayette Park
and Miller Company
Landscape Architects used a Donor Booklet
to share information with potential donors
MILLER COMPANY
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
Events
Consider hosng an event like a
“My School Color Run” to help you
meet your fundraising goals.
http://www.myschoolcolorrun.com/
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Webpage
Create a web page or website to create excitement about the project. This is a great
place to share your story and can be used to help monitor progress of donaons.
Friends of Grattan Park created a fundraising page on their website to allow people to submit donations on-line and monitor the
donations programs progress. Visit the site at GrattanPlayground.org
Recognition Program
Decide on a method of recognizing donors for their contribuon.
Hayes Valley Playground, San Francisco included a donor recognition mural mosaic in the design of the playground to recognize
donors for their contributions.
Purchasing Programs
Many manufacturers or dealers offer
purchasing and financing programs
to help make the process of geng the
equipment you want faster and easier.
Contract Procurement
Local Procurement Contracts Available:
California Multiple Awards Schedule (CMAS) Contract # 4-99-78-0006A.
FINANCING IS BENEFICIAL
Exclusively for
Only Marlin offers Single Point of Contact Service, an unsurpassed level
of service in which you work with the same person a l the time, every time.
That’s why we understand your business and how we form relationships.
WHY FINANCE?
For Financing Information, please call:
FINANCE
FINANCE APPLICATION Fax completed application: 888-479-1100
MAY WE CONTACT LESSEE IF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NEEDED? Yes No
FULL LEGAL BUSINESS NAME CONTACT NAME
BUSINESS ADDRESS EQUIPMENT COST
EQUIPMENT LOCATION (if di ferent from above) PHONE
NATURE OF BUSINESS YEARS OF OWNERSHIP STATE OF INC./ORGANIZATION
BUSINESS TYPE:
FAX
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER EMAIL Miracle Playsystems, Inc. primarily uses our CMAS contract on all District Wide Replacement
Projects. CMAS allows a local government such as a city, county, and school district to sole source
playground equipment and playground surfacing at a discounted rate without the need to go to
bid.
The California Multiple Award Schedules (CMAS) program was established in 1994. The CMAS
contracts are awarded and administered by the State of California, Department of General Services,
Procurement Division, in accordance with Public Contract Code (PCC) Sections 10290 et
seq. and Section 12101.5.
The CMAS contract was the first state-wide indefinite delivery contract based on the federal GSA
Multiple Award Schedule contract. It is one of the easiest methods available for California state
agencies to purchase goods and services including Playgrounds and Safety Surfacing. The CMAS
program has proven to be extremely popular among state agencies, with the initiative accounting
for more than $3 billion in purchasing and including more than 4,000 contracts.
CMAS contracts are established using products, services and prices from already existing competitively
assessed and cost compared multiple award contracts. The products, services and prices
are primarily from the federal General Services Administration (GSA) multiple award schedule
program Federal General Services Administration (GSA).
Cooperative Purchasing Programs (Piggyback)
CORP. LLC PARTNERSHIP PROPRIETORSHIP
X________________________________________________ __________________________
H-GAC-Buy Procurement Number PR11-10. California makes available an Interlocal Cooperation
Authority to allow local governments like school districts and municipalities to join and participate
in programs like H-GACBuy. H-GAC is a regional council of governments which is governed
by a board comprised of 35 elected officials from the 13 county regions. The H-GAC Board awards
all contracts, which can then be made available to local governments nationwide thru H-GACBuy.
Miracle Playsystems, Inc. has utilized the H-GACBuy bidding process on more than a dozen local
school district projects and municipal playground projects.
Payments
EQUIP.
COST
12
MOS.
24
MOS.
36
MOS.
FINANCE PROCESS
$974 $20,000 $488 $1,948 $354 $287 $976 $30,000 $2,895 $708 $245
$3,860 $1,044 $490
$574 $1,452 $40,000 $1,392 $1,104 $4,825 $2,420 $702
$828 $1,936 $50,000 $936
$1,740 $1,380 $1,170
Why Finance? Imagine ...
48
MOS.
But don’t take our word for it... SEE FOR YOURSELF!
60
MOS.
19
e you
Getting started
If you’re ready to get started on your
project and don’t know where to begin
we have compiled tools to help guide
you through it. Our goal is to make the
process of planning and purchasing a
playground fun and easy.
Visit our website at
miracleplaygroup.com/resources/
Find these Resources and much more
Project Planning Checklist
Our project planning checklist helps our clients know what to expect before kicking off a playground
project.
Budgeting Template
The Budgeting Template is an excel file for developing initial planning budgets for updating play
environments. The form includes many commonly required items and gives a general idea of associated
materials and install costs. The template is user friendly allowing customers to plug in their anticipated
quantities and get a good idea of how much the designed park may cost.
Fundraising Program Resources
Donor solicitation can be a great tool to help your community fundraise to create an extraordinary play
environment. Our team at Miracle Playsystems has worked with community groups, schools and public
agencies to help them improve their playground and park facilities. We have seen many organizations
utilize creative and innovative ways to solicit funding for their projects. This document is created as a
resource to share and help you find the same success in soliciting funding.
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Design and Safety Standards
For the Miracle Playsystems design team, safety is always a primary concern. Here we provide documents
to help you understand the current safety standards.
Designing Play Cheat Sheet
Understanding ADA Compliance
ADA COMPLIANCE REFERENCE CHART
ELEVATED PLAY COMPONENTS
TOTAL PROVIDED RAMP ACCESS RAMP OR TRANSFER STATION ACCESS
LESS THAN 20 NOT REQ’D 50% MIN
20 OR MORE 25% MIN 25% MIN
GROUND LEVEL PLAY COMPONENTS (based on number of elevated play components)
ELEVATED PLAY COMPONENTS
GROUND LEVEL COMPONENTS REQUIRED
2 - 4 1
5 - 7 2 (AT LEAST 2 TYPES)
8 - 10 3 (AT LEAST 3 TYPES)
11 - 13 4 (AT LEAST 3 TYPES)
14 - 16 5 (AT LEAST 3 TYPES)
17 - 19 6 (AT LEAST 3 TYPES)
20 - 22 7 (AT LEAST 4 TYPES)
Understanding Fall Zones
Understanding overlapping fall zones is one of the issues that often comes up for designers
when confronted with fitting equipment into play areas. Here are some helpful graphics to get
some clarity around the space between play equipment.
72” MIN
72” MIN
72” MIN
108” MIN
72” MIN
72” MIN
108” MIN
USE ZONES FOR ROTATING EQUIPMENT
USE ZONES FOR TO-FRO SWINGS
USE ZONES FOR STATIONARY EQUIPMENT
21
e inspired
play for all
HEATHER FARM PARK,
WALNUT CREEK
BORRECCO/ KILIAN & ASSOCIATES
On occasion we are fortunate enough to be asked to be part of a truly awe-inspiring project that changes the overall
feeling of a community and brings excitement and life to an otherwise tired and dated park. This is exactly the case when
we were asked in 2013 to be part of the team tasked to makeover Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek, CA. The existing
30,000 square foot play area was one that had dated back to the early 1990’s and was in need of a major renovation to
bring it to current code compliance and to bring the fun back. Heather Farm Park is the largest public park in the City of
Walnut Creek inclusive of an Aquatic Complex,
Tennis Center, Skate Park, ball fields as well as
lakes with walking trails throughout the park.
The City wanted a truly unique, destination
playground that also offered fully inclusive play
for children of all abilities. What came of this
dream is the newly constructed All Abilities
Playground at Heather Farm Park that opened in
October, 2014!
Starting in 2013, Carolyne Challice, Architect
with the City of Walnut Creek began to envision
what a new All Abilities Playground would
look like and how it could best cater to the
City and the surrounding communities who
call the park home. With the added support of
landscape architect Brian Kilian of Borrecco/
Kilian & Associates, Ms. Challice reached out
to 3 different manufacturers and began getting
22
Miracle Playsystems team of sales
representaves and designers, helped
the City through the design process to
ensure the new playgrounds would work
to serve kids of all abilies. This is seen
throughout the park with the ramps
which allow for a child in a wheelchair
to access the playground from ground
level up to a 6’ elevated level, enabling
all kids to experience the thrill of play!
HEATHER
FARM PARK
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
CITY OF WALNUT CREEK
BORROCCO/KILIAN &
ASSOCIATES
23
e inclusive
PLAY FOR ALL
ideas for the space. Through this process they chose Miracle Playsystems to
design and supply the equipment that would sit at the center of this special park.
The custom designed playgrounds by Miracle Recreation & HAGS, along with
the rocks, boulders & fallen trees by Rocks & Ropes as well as the special shade
structures throughout the play area by Sun Ports all work to add the exciting
space.
Miracle Playsystems team of sales representatives & designers, were able to help
the City through the design process to ensure the new playgrounds would work
to serve kids of all abilities. This is seen throughout the park with the ramps
which allow for a child in a wheelchair to access the playground from ground level
up to a 6’ elevated level enabling all kids to experience the thrill of play!
From the opening in October there has already been a huge benefit to the
community; the city has commented on how popular the park is and how many
more people are using the park then before. By drawing in more families and
children, the park has more than accomplished what the city set out to do.
Not only has this renovation transformed the park, but it has re-excited the
community. Now the City’s biggest problem is how to accommodate all the
people who swarm to this park each day. A fun problem to have!
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e inclusive
We believe that every kids deserves to play!
Every child deserves to feel exhilarated and experience new sights, sounds and textures. We offer a variety of products that
provide accessibility and sensory benefits to create a truly inclusive playspace. Our inclusive play products are designed
to engage children by challenging them to solve problems, command social skills, grow self-confidence, explore spatial
awareness and captivate every child’s imagination and their every ability.
RAMPS, DECKS AND TRANSFER POINTS
Ramps can include straight, curved and doublewide
ramps to accommodate both one and two
wheelchairs and a variety of designs. Extra wide
decks also give wheelchairs the room they need to
turn around easily.
INTERACTIVE PLAY PANELS
With these interactive panels, all children can enjoy the
nurturing and valuable elements of tactile play at the “just
right” height for everyone. Children with inefficient touch
perception, limited play skills or motor challenges may not
be able to engage fully in many typical play activities that
help children to develop the tactile sense. With a strong
sense of touch, motor actions (such as buttoning or holding
a pencil) are extremely difficult. Interactive play panels offer
all children the chance to explore and engage in tactile play,
which in turn helps them develop skills for life.
ALTA-GLIDE
INCLUSIVE GLIDER
This swaying, bouncing,
wheelchair-accessible glider
makes play exciting for all kids,
with two large benches with
springs for added motion and
exterior standing ledges.
The push-pull motion helps kids
develop balance, coordination,
eye tracking and muscle tone.
Wheelchair access ensures that all
children have the chance to feel
the exhilaration of moving through
space in fun, enriching ways!
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SEVEN INSIGHTS ABOUT INCLUSION
1. IDENTIFY THE
“COOLEST THING”
Identify the equipment that children
will be most excited about and make
sure everyone can access it and
enjoy it together.
2. MAKE PLAY PHYSICAL ,
SENSORY AND SOCIAL
Create a diverse play environment that
make children feel good on the physical,
sensory and social levels. Children have
different needs and abilities, so a wide
range of activities will help them achieve
their individual goals.
3. REACH HIGHER
Make sure there are plenty of activities
for children of all abilities at every
elevation on the playground. Children
like elevated play spaces because it’s
exciting to be above everyone else and
reaching high places gives them a sense
of accomplishment.
4. GROUP SIMILAR
ACTIVITIES TOGETHER
Invite children of different
abilities to play together
by locating similar types of
equipment and play activities
close to one another. Play
activities that are either
connected or located closely
together in the same area
encourage the same kind of play
in children of different ability
levels.
5. CHALLENGE THEM ON
MULTIPLE LEVELS
Select play activities that present
a variety of escalating challenge
levels to make sure children of
all abilities remain active and
engaged.
6. PLAY THE ZONES
Develop specialized areas of play for
exciting or calming activities. Kids
who are overstimulated easily by noise
or activity often find quieter areas
comforting. Also, establish orientation
pathways to help guide people with
spatial
disabilities to different play areas without
fear of getting lost. Play spaces because
it’s exciting to be above everyone else and
reaching high places gives them a sense
of accomplishment.
7. TAKE A DEEPER LOOK
AT SURFACING
Instead of mulch or other loose materials,
use protective surfacing like rubber tiles,
mats, turf, or a combination of these
materials. This forms a unitary, shockabsorbing
surface that makes it easier for
wheelchairs and strollers to get to play
activities easily.
THERAPEUTIC SWING SEAT
Our Therapeutic Swing provides a safety harness for children in
need of extra security and support. This snug, supportive seat
offers all children a highflying ride while helping them
coordinate head and eye movements, stay upright against
gravity, develop balance equilibrium and coordinate actions on
the right and left sides of the body.
ROLLER SLIDE
The Roller Slide lets kids experience a new tactile way
to slide with the added movement and texture of rollers
beneath them, and it also encourages cooperative,
inclusive play. The Roller Slide is unique in offering a tactile
component combined with both movement— activating
the vestibular sense — and sensation to muscles and
joints, providing proprioceptive input.
27
e inspired
bring us
your vision
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
FRIENDS OF JOE
DIMAGGIO PARK
The City of San Francisco and the Friends of Joe DiMaggio
Park brought us their vision of creang a custom mosaic
led fish, inspired by the images above.
play anything
Our inhouse design staff
worked with the City of
San Francisco, Friends of
Joe DiMaggio Park and
the UPC fabricators to
develop these renderings
and model.
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Customization
You dream it, we will design it. Bring us your ideas
and we will create custom designs to bring your
inspiraon to life. Our in house design staff works
with local fabricators, out of Redding, CA and Robin
Indar, mosaic arst, out of Chico, CA.
Meet the artist
Robin Indar, mosaic artist - Chico, CA
Robin Indar is a mosaic artist who was born and
raised in the Bay Area and currently lives with her
husband and two children in Chico. She works
with our design team and UPC parks to create
“one of a kind” mosaic pieces on Polyfibercrete
sculptures. Depending on the location of
the park, Robin either works on site after the
sculpture has been set in place, or she does her
mosaic work at the UPC plant to deliver a finished
product to the site. Robin’s work is unique in that
she uses tiles that she has handmade to bring the
piece to life. She also makes glow in the dark tiles
that glow up to 8 hours after the sun goes down.
If you are interested in bringing this unique
display of public artwork to your park project,
bring us your ideas and we will work with Robin
to deliver something that has never been done
before!
29
e inspired
play anywhere
www.landezine.com/index.php/2016/08/guldbergs-plads-by-11-
landskab/
Landscape Architecture: 1:1 Landskab
Client: Municipality of Copenhagen
Team: Keingart (Architects), Sloth-Møller (Engineers)
Vail Nests - Tres Birds Workshop
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Atlas Lab - SF Protoyping Festival
Somemes you don’t need a
structure, just an imaginaon
and a desire to have fun!
We believe in creang fun
anywhere. Play should be
something that can happen
as part of daily life, not just
on the playground. We can
help you develop unique
designs to fit any locaon.
31
play with color
bring us
your vision
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
FERMAN LEAMY
LAND GROUP
Don’t be afraid of color! What a fun
place for kids to play and explore..
32
e inspired
Your playfulness shouldn’t stop with the play
equipment. Consider ways to integrate playful
placemaking into the full play environment.
33
e inspired
Express yourself
Your playfulness shouldn’t stop with the play
equipment. Consider ways to integrate playful
placemaking into the full play environment.
34
play environment
bring
us
your
vision
Ask us about options for shade,
site furnishings or surfacing
options to compliment your
design. We have standard models
or we can design something
custom for you.
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36
be inspired
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what’s new ?
Miracle Playsystems would
like to introduce Elephant
Play. The perfect rope climbing
equipment that is made in
North America.
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what’s
Concerto outdoor musical equipment by Miracle Recreaon allows children of all abilies to experience
the joy and benefits of making music. The Concerto Cabasas shake, rale and roll! A cross between
maracas and tradional cabasas, this musical product makes metallic raling sounds when spun
and changes as the drum is moved back and forth.
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Musical equipment is the perfect way to add to your
tradional equipment. Perfectly tuned instruments
that anyone can sound great playing.
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MIRACLE RECREATION - X-GEN
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Extreme Generaon is a towering adventure playground with challenging physical events for children
seeking extreme play! Its design brings play to new heights, with innovave, fully-enclosed skyways
that provide elaborate rope course-inspired acvies far above ground— adding an element of
perceived risk to any play space.
e active
Miracle Recreation has also introduced a sleek
new adult fitness line that is as appealing as it is
cost effective.
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what’s next ?
Embankment Play
Embankment slides are the “newest” old trend in
play and Miracle Playsystems’ team are experts in
designing and building these marvels while maintaining
excitement, safety, and compliance.
Joe DiMaggio Park in San Francisco is an example of
this trend of playful design. It incorporates dueling
embankment slides set into amphitheater like steps that
embrace the existing geography of the site.
The embankment slide is not a new concept. However,
with safety codes and regulations such as ASTM, CPSC,
ADA, and CBC, they are a little trickier than they were
for the designers of the past. In this article, we will
define embankment slides versus elevated hillslides,
provide design methods and approaches, offer material
recommendations, and share a few success stories along
the way. We will also show other play features that can be
incorporated into a site with topography.
46
JOE DIMAGGIO PARK,
SAN FRANCISCO
CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO DPW
bring us
your vision
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
FRIENDS OF JOE
DIMAGGIO PARK
Embankment Slide versus Elevated Hillslide
The CPSC Public Playground Safety Handbook defines
an embankment slide as a slide that follows the contour
of the ground and at no point is the bottom of the chute
greater than 12 inches above the surrounding ground (see
Section 5.3.6.3.1. Embankment slides on pages 33-35).
If this requirement is met, the length of the slide bedway
does not require protective surfacing beneath it, allowing
a designer to plant vegetation or design steps along
the hillside. However, if the distance from the chute to
the ground exceeds 12 inches, then it is considered an
elevated hillslide and protective surfacing is required. It is
also a requirement to have a protective area at the exit of
the chute.
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what’s next ?
Playing with Topography
A hillslide typically needs a hill, but not
every park has this luxury. If your site
does not naturally include grade changes,
introducing topography into your design also
adds another dimension of play value that
cannot be accomplished by manufactured
playground equipment alone.
Heather Farm Park, City of Walnut Creek,
CA Borrecco / Kilian and Associates
Mounding with surfacing is a versatile
approach to playscape design and can be
introduced in most locations. This can
be accomplished with the use of a foam
base, compacted baserock, or by creating a
series of retaining walls or stacked stone to
create a hillside, as in Lafayette Park in San
Francisco.
Lafayette Park, City of San Francisco
Miller Company Landscape Architects
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If you are fortunate to have elevations within your site,
congratulations—you are one step closer to designing
an embankment slide. However, we have found that
using the natural topography for embankment slides is
rarely successful without some modification.
Hillside Park, Rancho Cordova
Embankment slides not only have to have a specific slope
in order to be compliant, but they also need to have a
certain slope to make them fun. The target angle for fun
and safety is between 30-45 degrees.
According to the CPSC Playground Safety Handbook and
ASTM F1487, an embankment slide should be designed
to an average angle of 30 degrees and it must not exceed
50 degrees at any point.
Material Selection
The material of the slide is also something important to
keep in mind. Here we address the pros and cons of a
number of material choices.
Plastic
Miracle Recreation manufactures a chameleon
slide which is a cost effective solution and can be
designed in a series of twists and turns to create a
dynamic sliding experience that can be extended
for long hillsides. A drawback of plastic slides is the
static generated while sliding on plastic makes it
a non-ideal choice when designing a play area for
children of all abilities. The static generated from
plastic slides interferes with cochlear implants and
may not be a first choice when considering an all
inclusive design.
Concrete
The embankment slides of the 70’s were often
poured on-site and made of a coarse concrete. Kids
would ride down on a cardboard box or wax paper
in order to make it slicker. Today’s playground
manufacturers have been able to prefabricate slides
that don’t require that approach. Manufacturers
such as UPC Rocks and Ropes make custom
concrete hill slides that are made out of a smooth
polished concrete. The bedways are slick and never
require additional polishing.
Steel
Norleg, HAGS and Elephant Play manufacture steel
slides that can also be customized to your design
inspiration. Steel should only be considered in
cooler regions or in shaded areas. Positioning these
slides in a north-facing orientation also helps to
keep them cool.
Design Approach
Ordering an “off the shelf” slide, and relying on
your installer to “make it work” on site, is rarely a
successful approach. Bringing the designer, slide
manufacturer, playground safety inspector, and
installer together at an early stage is a huge key to a
successful result.
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Code Requirements
As stated in the CPSC Public Playground Safety
Handbook, embankment slides “should follow all of
the recommendations given for straight slides where
applicable (e.g., side, height, slope, use zone at exit,
etc).”
The diagram below shows a UPC Rocks and
Ropes embankment slide. The slope of the slide
is 30 degrees. The slide comes in one piece and is
mounted onsite to a footing at the top of the slide.
The slide exit has an integral footing.
In order for this to be useful, it is important to
know the ASTM and CPSC’s requirements for slides,
which state that the chute should have sides that
are a minimum of 4 inches high along both sides
of the chute and extending the entire length of the
inclined sliding surface. These sides should be an
integral part of the slide and there should be no gaps
between the sides and the sliding surface. There are
also specifics about the radius of the slide chute
and required clearances that should be carefully
reviewed when locating and manufacturing a
custom embankment slide.
Looking again to the CPSC Public Playground
Safety Handbook, “There should be some means
provided at the slide chute entrance to minimize
the use of embankment slides by children on
skates, skateboards, or bicycles.” This requirement
is important for the safety of all park users. This
can be integral to the slide or accomplished by
providing an access bar that is mounted over the
slide entrance, as seen at the concrete slide in
Hillside Park. This bar can prevent a user from
accidentally falling down the chute and it also
helps position a child in the forward facing sliding
position.
Other Embankment Play
50
If embankment slides are not the perfect fit
for your site or you want to include other play
opportunities along with your embankment
slide, there are a wide variety of hillside play
events available. Net play by Elephant Play is
customizeable and nets can be designed for
climbing the slope of any topography and can be
customized for a site-specific design. Kids can
crawl under it or over it to get to the top of the
hill.
Rope ladders from Norleg are also a great nature
play addition to any playscape.
PATH TO INNOVATION
Playground design is an ever evolving art. We pride ourselves in working with manufacturers that have a
long history of creating innovative products. We believe play design is approaching a new era of innovation.
Working with artists and landscape architects we hope to push the boundaries of play design.
51
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Quality Means Value
With durability that you can recognize and design features that you can appreciate, Miracle delivers the
leading edge of innovative features and designs to your play project.
Versalok® is Miracle’s patented
clamp design that features a unique
stainless steel, tamper-resistant
fastener that eliminates the need
for unsightly – and costly – clamp
stacking.
Gator Grip® is a three
dimensional textured
pattern on gripping
surfaces to provide comfort
for little hands.
Mira-Therm vinyl coating on
deck surfaces helps to prevent
rapid heat transfer and the
small holes in the surface are
designed to keep little fingers
safe!
52
Proper materials are vital to the playground
design process. Materials help stimulate
imagination for play as well as provide
visual aesthetic for design. Remember
when playgrounds used to be made out of
old rickety wood and you’d get splinters as
you’d climb up to the platform. You were
emotionally connected to that structure with
multiple senses as each step you took - the
structure would creek and crackle.
Wood can be an attractive material to use for
building but most playground manufacturers
stay away from using it in modern design.
HAGS is one of the leading playground
manufacturers in the world and they
use sustainably forested Nordic
Pine as a primary material for
their structures. Norleg equipment is
primarily manufactured from Robinia
(Robinia Pseudoacacia), which is a type
of wood with unique qualities in terms of
strength and durability.
The Robinia trunks consist almost exclusively
of core wood which is extremely durable. The
wood only shrinks moderately when it dries.
Compared with other types of wood, Robinia
has the highest pressure and bending
strength.
But it is Robinia’s durability when in contact
with soil that makes it especially suited to
the manufacture of playground equipment.
quality
materials
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
MILLER COMPANY
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
MARIN PRIMARY
ELEMENTARY
Recycling
Content
When designing products we try to use
renewable raw material or material with
recycling content. Wood is used in several of
HAGS products. It is a renewable material and
also contributing to reduce CO2 gases from a
green climate perspective. Wood coming from
a sustainable supply chain with well managed
forests is a good example of an environmental
friendly raw material.
The steel we use contains a large extent of steel
scrap. By combining smart design solutions
described above and the fact that steel contains
recycled material steel is an acceptable raw
material from an environmental perspective.
In Sweden about half of the aluminium scrap is
collected and new aluminium contains up to 30%
of old aluminium scrap. HAGS uses two different
types of plastic material. EcoGrip is a type of
plastic used by HAGS containing 92 % recycled
post consumer polyethylene plastic.
53
Why Choose Miracle Playsystems?
Know that when you choose to work with our team you are not only working
with a talented group of industry experts but you are working with a company
that is dedicated to giving back to the communites they work in.
54
Miracle Playsystems is a proud
community sponsor
- ASLA NCC and ASLA Sierra Chapter
- Trust for Public Land
- San Franciso Park Alliance - Party for the Parks
- Habitat for Humanity Playhouse build
- ASLA Giants Night and Sharks Night
- SF Market Street Prototyping Festival
- Slide Donation to Berkeley Adventure Playground
- Grand Opening - Snow Cones for Foulk Park
- Beresford Park, San Mateo
- Joe DiMaggio Park, San Francisco
55
Our team
Kit Steven - President & Founder
Tracey Lydon - Principal
Dana Thomas - Lead Designer
Kit believes an understanding of every facet of the business helps to
develop long-standing relationships with customers. Kit’s background in
construction, where he got his start in this industry, and his hands on
approach mean he is involved in all aspects of the business from participating
in community builds right into design, sales and customer service.
With a business degree from the University of Southern California (USC)
Kit has built one of the most exciting and fun playground companies to
work with. In his down time, he and his wife, Megan, are the parents of two
children, Henry and Lilly, and they enjoy hiking, biking, traveling and giving
back to their community.
As co-owner and our Director of Operations, Tracey is responsible for
overseeing our design and construction services. She brings more than 15
years of design and project management experience working with Miracle
Playsystems and through her past positions with landscape architecture and
planning firms and the City of San Francisco. Prior to her design career, she
worked as an elementary school teacher. Her passion for playground design
is enriched by her love for teaching. Her background makes her uniquely
qualified to provide design solutions that are not only visually stunning but
informed by an understanding of how children learn and play.
Dana received a Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from California
Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2002 and is a Certified
Playground Safety Inspector. She brings over 12 years of Landscape
Architectural design to Miracle. Her past projects include large city park
designs, urban streetscapes and university campus redesigns. The transition
to designing play structures and the play environment comes naturally to
Dana and she is able to understand all of the site constraints as well as her
ability to transform conceptual design ideas into creative and artful built
forms. She currently lives in Lincoln CA. with her husband and son.
Leslie Voss joined the team of Miracle PlaySystems in tandem with its
acquisition of the Central Coast region. She came to know playgrounds
from an adult’s perspective through the last 13 years of bidding, designing,
overseeing construction and providing customer support. Leslie believes that
the one-on-one relationship with each customer is the most important – and
most enjoyable facet of the business side of play. In her spare time, Leslie is
an avid church and community volunteer, and enjoys the challenge of raising
Rhodesian Ridgebacks, one at a time.
Leslie Voss - Customer Service Rep
Amber Hildebrand Freitas is a licensed landscape architect and received her
Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis in 2005. She
has a strong background in designing parks, schools and high-end residential
landscapes. As a mother of a kindergartner and a new baby boy, she finds
great joy and fulfillment in designing play structures that help foster the
development and satisfy the energy level of current and future generations.
Amber Freitas - Designer
56
Kathy Moschetti is our Office Manager. Kathy has been handling accounts
at Miracle Playsystems for 10 years, processing quotes, orders and accounts
receivable and has become an expert in parts to help you with your long
term maintenance needs. Kathy enjoys decorating the office for the holidays,
hiking, and road trips to the beach.
Kathy Mosche - Office Manager
Annie has been in the administrative/customer service field for over 15 years
with a strong emphasis on customer service. Annie enjoys music, baking and
spending time with her family.
Annie Loquiao - Admin Support
Larry Golfo handles our accounting functions. Larry brings with him more
than 20 years of Accounting and Finance management experience. Prior
to joining MPI, Larry managed operations of a publicly traded technology
company in the Silicon Valley.
Larry is married to Tess and has 3 daughters. The Golfo family’s passion
for sports and music keep them busy. Larry’s daughters have been featured
regularly in bay area newspapers and television sports news.
Larry Golfo - Staff Accountant
Felix Vasquez is of our Maintenance supervisor at Miracle Playsystems. He
is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) and has over 25 years of
experience as a lead maintenance worker with City of Fairfield. With his
two and a half decades working with playground equipment he brings a
wealth of knowledge and know-how to effectively maintain and keep play
spaces safe and compliant.
Felix Vasquez - Staff Accountant
57
Miracle Playsystems - Sales Account Managers
Wes DeBow
Chris Olsen
Jean Tyan
Wes has a diverse background ranging from landscape design, construction, action sports
to teaching mechanical and architectural design for K-5th grade. He also served as a
Commissioner on an advisory board for his local Parks and Recreation Department in the
City of Napa and has consulted for various Parks and Recreation Departments. Wes is
committed to his customers’ satisfaction, passionate about play. When he’s not working,
Wes enjoys designing, creating, making art, spending time with his wife and three kids
camping at the beach, in the mountains, riding bikes, motorcycles, wake surfing and
snowboarding.
Chris Olsen believes that children of all abilities should have an opportunity to play
and that every customer should experience a paramount level of service that they will
remember for years to come. Chris spent several years in the Psychology field working with
emotionally disturbed children and then worked for one of the nation’s leading industrial
security product distributors. When he isn’t working, he and his wife Adrienne are spending
time with their young son Nicholas and family dog, Harley, at their home in Livermore.
Chris is an aspiring home cook and avid San Francisco Giants fan.
Jean has a passion for promoting youth development through active learning and play as part
of their school day or in their community. Jean joined the Miracle Playsystems team with
over 9 years of experience in school partnership as program director working with Bay Area
elementary schools for the provision of music education services. She provided a high-touch
service to hundreds of schools throughout the year. Prior to that Jean worked in a number
of technology companies in product management, business development, and international
market development. When not on the job, Jean enjoys recreating outdoors and hiking with
her Siberian Husky
Tammie Ward’s professional background includes over 18 years of account management
experience in the wine industry, where she provided outstanding customer service to her
clients. Enjoying the outdoors and adventure seeking has always been her passion and she
is delighted her work for Miracle Playsystems helps kids experience those same joys. A
Central Coast native, Tammie is an avid hiker and cyclist. She is a graduate of California State
University, San Marcos where she received her degree in Social Science.
Tammie Ward
Ma Durkin
Matt’s strong customer service background makes him a terrific addition to the Miracle team
and allows our clients to continue to get the service and support they’ve come to expect
when working with Miracle. Before joining our team, Matt worked in Sales as a Key Account
Manager for a notable Fresno based medical equipment company servicing key clients and
accounts through the United States. In his free time, Matt enjoys outdoor activities such
as recreational team sports, hiking, and camping. You might even bump into Matt on the
weekend with his young son, playing on one of our Miracle playgrounds, at swim class or at
gym class together.
Miracle Playsystems - Sales Account Managers
Territory Map
Wes De Bow (707)239-4783 | wes@miracleplaygroup.com
Dana Thomas (916) 718-2256 | dana@miracleplaygroup.com
Chris Olsen (925)324-8023 | chris@miracleplaygroup.com
Jean Tyan (650)930-0459 | jean@miracleplaygroup.com
Tammie Ward (831)242-0063 | tammie@miracleplaygroup.com
(includes Gilroy and Morgan Hill)
Ma Durkin (559)545-5274 | ma@miracleplaygroup.com
PLAYGROUNDS | OUTDOOR FITNESS | SITE AMENITIES | SURFACING | SHADE | SPECIALTY CONTRACTING
CREATING FUN
PLAY ENVIRONMENTS TO
ENRICH COMMUNITIES
MIRACLE RECREATION - VIPER SWI NG
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