What’s the value of a $1.1 million investment in a Tulsa park? It means that Finnigan Bark, and others with disabilities, can get closer to nature at Chandler Park.
Chandler Park’s new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant trail has been completed and is slated to open soon, bringing opportunities for people of all abilities to enjoy the view. It’s a paved 6-foot-wide trail that’s about .75 miles long and replaces a sketchy, occasionally washed-out-in-places gravel path.
Bark uses a wheelchair to accommodate his aggressive form of Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome. He’s been to Chandler Park before for the Monarchs on the Mountain event. But the lower level was inaccessible to many because of the rough trail.
“Remember that the disabled community is the only minority group that you can become a part of at any point in your life,” he said. “It’s important to have a trail that benefits everyone from a baby in a stroller to wheelchair users, the elderly or folks who don’t want to fight to find footing. If it helps some of us, it helps all of us.”
Chandler Park started as a rock quarry, Tulsa County Parks Director Matt Hancock said. The park’s lower level has changed uses over time — from recreational as a playground and tennis court to more practical uses, like storage for waste brush and trees. But it has some of the park’s best views and opportunities for bird spotting.
Hancock said the new trail was made possible by past Tulsa County commissioners and federal COVID-19 relief dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act.
“There’s a part of west Tulsa and Tulsa that hasn’t been accessible,” he said. “Now it’s more accessible, people have a chance to see it.”
Bark is a good example.
“Before my disability progressed, I went on a lot of nature walks with my kids; we were very active outside, and now as the pain increased, we were less and less able to enjoy nature,” said Bark. “I’ve experienced the accommodations at Keystone Ancient Forest, but having that here in (Chandler) is really nice to experience for myself and my family.”
Chandler won’t be the last accessibility improvement for county parks. The department has been hunting for funding to add sidewalks to O’Brien Park, Haikey Creek Park and its portion of the Osage Prairie Trail, Hancock said.
Cien Carmona is a freelance writer in Tulsa and a contributor to the Tulsa Flyer.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story included a reference to sidewalks at Owen Park, which is maintained by Tulsa Parks. This story has been updated.
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