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The physical park improvements and the education that has grown from them were reviewed Thursday by an Access to Recreation representative and members of the A2R operations committee.

As the two-year program nears its end, Gary Robb of Access Solutions Group was in Seneca County to inspect five projects to make outdoor recreation more accessible to the handicapped. He was accompanied on the tour by Roland Zimmerman, director of the Seneca County Park District and co-manager of the A2R project, along with Mark Leahy and Bernie Gosche, both of the Seneca County Opportunity Center.

"To me, it's really encouraging to see what your group has accomplished and to hear that you're more aware of accessibility issues," said Robb, former executive director of National Center for Accessibility, based in Indiana. He now is retired but sometimes travels to inspect projects.

During the tour of all five projects, Robb checked the grade on trails, measured the tops of picnic tables and checked other items to make sure they met criteria spelled out in the Americans with Disabilities Act.

He also offered suggestions on project offshoots that weren't part of the A2R grant.

For example, he said the top of some of the accessible picnic tables are 1 1/2 inches too narrow for accessibility standards.

And he said the stone trail at Tiffin University Nature Preserve that extends from the paved portion, is already fairly accessible and wouldn't need to be paved.

However, the handicapped parking space at Schekelhoff Nature Preserve is too narrow for accessibility and he said the concrete poured to make the grills in the shelters at Hedges-Boyer Park are an improvement, but still aren't wide enough to meet ADA standards.

He liked the armrests Zimmerman devised to attach to benches made from recycled material, but he said only one should be used per bench instead of two.

Robb said the view of the Sandusky River from a picnic table near the trail at Schekelhoff is so impressive he wouldn't be surprised if the city had to take reservations for use of the area.

Zimmerman asked Robb's opinion on several matters that have not yet been completed.

Zimmerman said the overall project was more complex than he thought it would be in the beginning. The five improvements required partnership and cooperation from four entities - Tiffin City Council, Tiffin Park and Recreation Department, the Seneca County Park District, Seneca County Opportunity Center and Tiffin University.

All five projects have been completed. The first two - Opportunity Park and Zimmerman park - opened to the public in May. A grand opening for Schekelhoff park took place last weekend and the TU project and Hedges-Boyer project are awaiting dates set for opening ceremonies.

Completion is the culmination of a $746,000 overall project designed to make recreational facilities more accessible to the handicapped. It was made possible by a $419,000 grant from the Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Mich., and $327,000 in local matching funds.

Zimmerman, Leahy and Gosche agreed their thinking on new projects has been changed forever. They said they plan to consider accessibility whenever they plan future projects.

In the beginning of the projects, Zimmerman said he received a lot of insite through a visit from Jennifer Skulski, another A2R representative, 1 1/2 years ago.

"I took it for granted I knew something and I found out I knew nothing," he said.

"We have been re-educated too in this process," Leahy said.

Robb said he would like people to remember one thing: "Any time you're going to replace something, replace it with one that's accessible."