Calabasas breaks ground on playground for disabled

GROUNDBREAKING- Construction officially begins on Brandon's Village. Officials broke ground Monday on a new park for special needs children. Brandon's Village is at Gates Canyon Park near Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Calabasas.

The playground is made possible through a $1 million donation from the Friedman Charitable Trust.

Brandon's Village will be the only playground of its kind in the region and will serve more than 5,000 special needs children from Calabasas and the surrounding communities.

Designed by Shane's Inspiration, a nonprofit organization that designs and builds universally accessible playgrounds, the one-acre play area includes modified equipment such as swings that have high backs or armrests to accommodate children with special needs.

Children who use wheelchairs, walkers or canes can use at least 70 percent of the play equipment without leaving their support devices behind, officials said. The new park, which will open in October, will be accessible to ablebodied children as well. Brandon's Village is named after Brandon Kaplan, a child with special needs.

Bruce and Wendy Friedman of the Friedman Foundation were joined by Brandon and his parents at the groundbreaking.

Also in attendance were Calabasas Councilmember Barry Groveman, Las Virgenes Unified

School District Assistant Superintendent Don Zimring, Tiffany Harris and Virginia Hatley from Shane's Inspiration, Calabasas Parks and Recreation Commissioner Matt Heller and Chairman Mark Shear, and Calabasas Community Services Director Jeff Rubin and Joann Melancon.