KEY TAKEAWAYS: Kenner and Jefferson Parish officials will break ground Aug. 11 on an inclusive playground in Laketown. Parish officials say it will be the largest inclusive playground in the Gulf South. The Louisiana-themed playground will feature a trawl boat, fishing camp and wildlife elemen ts. Officials say the project is part of broader efforts to revitalize Kenner’s Laketown waterfront district.   Jefferson Parish and Kenner officials will break ground Aug. 11 on a large inclusive playground planned for Kenner’s Laketown district, a project officials say will add a regional recreation attraction as the city works to revitalize its waterfront. The groundbreaking is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at 4540 Williams Blvd., next to the Kenner Boat Launch. Jefferson Parish District 4 Councilwoman Arita M.L. Bohannan will join Kenner Mayor Michael Glaser and members of the Kenner City Council for the event. Parish officials describe the project as the largest inclusive playground in the Gulf South. Unlike playgrounds designed primarily to meet minimum accessibility requirements, inclusive playgrounds incorporate equipment and layouts intended to allow children with different physical, sensory and developmental needs to play together. The Laketown playground will feature multiple entry and exit points, varying levels of difficulty, sensory-focused and quiet areas, shared climbing structures and other equipment designed to encourage interaction among children of different abilities. The project is being developed with playground equipment manufacturer Little Tikes Commercial, nonprofit playground designer Unlimited Play and local recreation consultant Swift Recreation. Its design draws on Louisiana’s coastal environment and culture, with features including a trawl boat, fishing camp and Louisiana wildlife. Louisiana and Mardi Gras float artist Manuel Ponce of Gretna developed the original design concept based on Bohannan’s vision for the playground. “When completed, the Laketown playground is going to be the largest, most creative, and custom inclusion play space in the entire Gulf South,” Bohannan said. “I am so excited for this project to be underway and welcome this amenity to my hometown of Kenner!” City officials are positioning the playground as part of broader efforts to attract families and visitors to Laketown and spur redevelopment along Kenner’s waterfront. “This is more than a just a playground,” Glaser said. “It will introduce families and visitors to Kenner’s revitalized Laketown district, and this emerging waterfront district will be the flagship for the revitalizing developments planned for North Kenner.” The project will be the third inclusive playground developed in Jefferson Parish’s District 4 under Bohannan and the fifth funded in part and guided by her family, according to the parish. Bohannan’s advocacy for inclusive playgrounds was inspired by her nephew Anthony, who is on the autism spectrum, and the concept has become an increasing focus of Jefferson Parish recreation projects. ...read more read less