Orca Coast Playground is always happy to receive testimonials. We get a lot of them however this one, is from a client of 5+ years.

October 2011

Balls of Fun is entering its fifth year of getting families active by practicing ball skills together. It was five years ago when Orca Coast Playground Ltd. built the structure that I had envisioned for children and adults. I remember calling a whole bunch of companies that makes soft-play structures for children. All of them had some type of road blocks to what I wanted. They were not willing to adapt or listen to what I wanted. They tried to upsell, when all I wanted was a very simple structure that would provide family fun and a good work out for both kids and adults. Plus, I needed it to fit into an inlet in the facility. Additionally, I wanted to be able to see the children at all levels of the structure, from ground level, to cut down on bullying. Also, each level had to be high enough so that adults could stand – (Perhaps this is the reason why some companies stopped listening to me… LOL.) But, guess what? Orca Coast listened and delivered what I wanted in a structure for Balls of Fun. They did not try to add any bells or whistles. Instead, they gave me some great ideas that have made the structure a big part of why the children leave Balls of Fun smiling and sweating. Moreover, Orca Coast designed, made, delivered and built the structure ahead of time before our grand opening, November 4, 2006.

Since then, Orca Coast has continued to provide me with outstanding customer service. They are there to answer my questions and provide the extra materials or parts needed to ensure the safety and maintenance of the structure. I would strongly suggest to stop searching and analyzing what other companies have in mind for your structure. Call Orca Coast and get the structure and support you have envisioned for your business! 

All the best,
Tanya Lavie – Founder/Owner – Balls of Fun Inc.

“This testimonial is proof that Orca’s primary focus is client driven and also that Orca is the best choice for quality and service. This testimonial is from a client who has had the Orca product for over 5 years, and came as a nice surprise to the team here at Orca. We are so happy to know that our products and customer service stand up through time. There are a lot of low grade products on the market and we are proud of the work we do. When you buy your indoor playground from Orca, you are buying peace of mind.” – Bill Dunbar, President of Orca Coast Playground

By Dale Carruthers

And now youngsters don’t even need a backyard – or a tree – to play in the city’s largest indoor treehouse at the Stoney Creek Community Centre, which officially opened on Saturday.

Located on the main floor of the new 84,000-square-foot Sunningdale Road facility, the treehouse is a hit with kids and parents alike. “It has slides, climbers, blocks and balls – it’s very fun,” said nine-year-old Burhan Elshada, who was enjoying a PD day at the YMCA. “Kids would love to play here,” he added.

The 2,200-square-foot treehouse room, which cost $100,000 to build, features play equipment, interactive video games, giant foam building blocks and much more. And it’s not just youngsters who are enjoying the treehouse room. “Families can come, mom and dads can have a coffee read the paper, and kids can run around,” said Stoney Creek general manager Mike Ennis. “The reaction has been amazing.”

With padding everywhere, the equipment is safe for children. And unlike traditional treehouses, the YMCA’s is open during regular gym hours. “It’s a great place to go,” Ennis said. (It’s) basically your indoor playground instead of being outside.”

dale.carruthers@sunmedia.ca

Parc O Fun is a large themed play system complete with a waterfall themed gang slide, one of the largest in Quebec.

Orca Coast Playground builds the safest long gang slides in the industry with unique stretch moulds that extend the slides flat surfaces to eliminate loss of contact with the slide bed and the user.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB_Wbw5SCIQ

Yet another safety feature that was innovated by the industry leader in Safety, Orca Coast Playground.

SHOREVIEW — In honor of the Shoreview Community Center’s 20th anniversary, the city will offer special events this weekend. A “Dive’n Movie” event is scheduled for 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5 at Tropics Indoor Waterpark; “Finding Nemo” will be shown at 7 p.m. On Saturday, pool and playground admission will cost only $2 to $3 for youth or $3 to $4 for adults. Free offerings include a bounce house, games, crafts, balloon animals, face painting and prizes.

Mayor Sandy Martin noted in her April State of the City Address that the center has surpassed expectations since it was established in 1990, now attracting upwards of half a million people per year. Its features now include a 10,000-square-foot fitness center, conference/banquet rooms that can accomodate up to 300 people, and a childcare center in addition to its waterpark and indoor playground.

Prior to its opening, according to Shoreview Historical Society President Jacci Krebsbach, the only central community gathering place was the Shoreview Roller Rink at Highways 49 and 96 where Rainbow Foods now stands.

In 1989 when the city broke ground on the $8 million center, which featured a swimming pool and 210-foot spiral slide, it was projected that 100,000 people would use the facilities in its first year. By 1991 it had already broken the 200,000-users-per-year mark.

Since then the city has added several features and rejected several other ideas for improvements.

In 1996 it considered adding an outdoor water park, according to the Pioneer Press. A proposal called for a $1.3 million to $1.5 million “outdoor wonderland” that included a walk-in beach, a tubing slide, a play area with slides and tire swings, a deck and a sand play area with volleyball facilities.

In 2003 the city went ahead with $5.5 million in improvements to the center. In 2008, it replaced the roof over City Hall and the Community Center, including the sloped roof over the pool.

The latest addition has been the $186,000 Tropical Adventure Indoor Playground installed last spring. The playground can accomodate 200 children at a time, generates revenues of some $100,000 a year and should pay for itself by the end of next year.

Outside the center, the city also renovated the center’s outdoor skate park last spring, spending about $99,000 on two quarter pipes, a half pipe, a “FunBox,” a new stair and rail ramp. Originally built in 1999 for about $35,000, the skate park draws between 30 and 40 people each day, Martin estimated last year.

This summer the city spent $47,050 on a high-tech light and sound system for its largest pool slide; it allows park attendees to choose a song using a computerized touch screen at the top of the slide.

“We try to do something new and exciting every year if we can,” noted City Manager Terry Schwerm of the water park. “It’s our Valley Fair in terms of adding features.”

Martin said the City Council has been pleased that admission costs for the center have stayed reasonable through the years.

“If you look at the private sector, it’s quite remarkable how much less we are,” she said. “Among community centers, we’re still lower than any others, and we want to be competitive with them even though our product is superior in many, many ways.”

“Orca Coast Playground is proud to announce a successful completion of a completely turn key International installation at Gecko’s Family Fun Centre in beautiful Brisbane, Australia”

Orca Coast created a dynamic entertainment centre never before seen in Australia, “Geckos Family Fun Centre”.

This project was handled by Orca in Australia from concept through to completion, from the colors on the floor to the selection and training of staff, Orca brought this project to new heights and the owners, John and Shirley Swords couldn’t be happier.

Elements This project included were: a turnkey laser tag arena (Fragzone, got fragz?) 18 hole Blacklight MInigolf, Lasertronix, Bal!tronix, Full Facility Theming, 4 party rooms, signage and more.

More photos of the overall project are also available at www.thememagic.ca – another proud Orca Coast Company.

ONEIDA — One of Oneida’s newest family play centers, Wild Child, located at 703 Stone St., recently hosted an evening event just for the local Oneida Kids Club.

Pamela Brewer, the owner of Wild Child, had been hearing of all the wonderful community service projects that Kids Club has been conducting for the local community through the papers, as well as other parents and businesses. Amazed at the hard work and dedication these children were showing to help in their local neighborhoods, schools, parks and businesses, Brewer opened the doors for Kids Club to enjoy a free evening of “finding their inner monkey” at Wild Child.

Nearly 40 Kids Club members and several parents attended the indoor play center. Amazed by the creative, innovative, and immaculate space, Katrina Blanchard, parent of two members, commented, “We need more places like this in our area. Not only do we need to offer kids a world of imagination, away from the television and video games, but show them that contributing to our society has benefits for everyone. For local business owners to open the door to these children and thank them in such a special way for their hard work keeps encouraging them to continue their efforts — which will certainly benefit our entire community.”

The Oneida Kid’s Club has more than 50 active members from Oneida and neighboring towns and school districts. Projects are booked throughout the year that benefit local businesses, schools, parks, conservation and charity organizations.

Wild Child offers an indoor playground, rock climbing walls, and different play areas consisting of toys/games for a variety of ages. It hosts open public hours, as well as private parties.

For more information, stop in to visit Oneida’s newest play place at 703 Stone St., Oneida, contact Pamela Brewer at 363-9453 or visit:

www.wildchildfamily.com

Posted from the Calgary Herald – February 18, 2010

“If you make a bird craft, we leave them open-ended art materials, and they create the bird themselves,” Mattatall says.

“We’re here to set up an environment to encourage the kids to go play in different centres, where they can learn about real-life challenges they can face.”

In addition to its preschool program, Joso’s is a day care, drop-in child care centre and public-access indoor playground.

“We’re here to prepare them for the next step in life, which would be kindergarten, which is definitely a more structured area.

“With our preschool, we run a structured program, but we also allow a chance for free choice and free play,” says Mattatall.

Joso’s staff members ask children open-ended questions to help them come to their own conclusions about things so the learning can happen naturally.

“We provide them with some tools, and let them go. Children learn social skills, they get to enact real-life situations in our dress-up centre, they practise social skills -sharing, taking turns, being patient and respectful,” she says.

“When they play, it gives us a chance to step back and observe them. It can help us identify any developmental issues or concerns that we can see in the way they play. We’re here to help each child develop a positive self image, and to have fun.”

Kaylee Kent was a bit shy at first, but before long she was smiling and laughing as she played in the indoor playground at the Medical College of Georgia Children’s Medical Center.

Kaylee, 3, is among many children who have enjoyed the playground since it opened last month, said child life specialist Abbie Suskay.

“Kids are in here all the time,” she said. “That’s the best part about it. This space is not closed down. It has turned into another congregating space, where the family can get together outside of the hospital room.”

It gives them a place to have fun, said Sandra McVicker, the interim president and CEO of MCG Health Inc.

“It’s bad enough that children have to come to the hospital when they’re sick, and this provides for them and their siblings a place to come out and be distracted from all of the things that go on in a hospital room,” she said.

Children in the hospital’s Kids’ Art program selected a dinosaur theme for the playground. It sits atop padded flooring and includes a large flower tree, dinosaurs they can sit on and crawl under or through, a balancing log and wall games.

The playground offers more than a place to play, Ms. Suskay said.

“When they first had the idea to do this, they were thinking of how it could not only be a place that could normalize the environment but one that could also have therapeutic purposes,” she said. “It’s a fun place to play, but it’s also an inviting and a fun way to do therapy.”

Many of the playground features can be used to work on gross motor skills through play, she said.

The playground was funded by donations to the Children’s Miracle Network.

By Nikasha Dicks | original story

In late 2008, amidst one of the worst financial years in U.S. history, Wisconsin Dells entrepreneur Todd Nelson gambled big and doubled down.

While other Dells resorts were slashing costs and mothballing future projects, Nelson’s Kalahari resort was installing a six-story indoor Ferris wheel, a two-story elevated go-cart track, two 32-foot climbing walls, bowling lanes, mini-golf with waterfalls, rope trapeze and other African fantasy adventures in a $20 million indoor amusement park spectacularly enclosed in glass. (more…)