Spokane to open city’s first adaptive youth development park

The city of Spokane is opening its first adaptive youth development field with a ribbon cutting in Mission Park at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The multipurpose field is designed to provide children with intellectual and physical disabilities a safe place to play team sports.

Players from the Bambino Buddy-Ball Division will give a baseball clinic led by Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation and parks staff. That will be followed by a pickup baseball game.

A news release from the parks department said, “The 12,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility includes a barrier-free, synthetic surface that allows children with assistive devices to move freely throughout the field, as well as 10-by-30-foot dugouts capable of accommodating wheelchairs and walkers.”

Mission Park is the Ripken Foundation’s third park in Washington and its 13th adaptive field nationwide. The foundation’s involvement includes a gift of equipment to the parks department.

The foundation will also work closely with the city to create and implement diversified clinics and character education.

The work was made possible by a host of donations from businesses and individuals as well as the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office.