City of Newark Unveils All-Abilities Inclusive Playground and Outdoor Fitness Court at Silliman Activity Center Park

Recreation directors with the City of Newark Recreation and Community Services Department cut the ribbon on Sunday afternoon on a 9,200-square-foot all-abilities inclusive playground, an adjacent seven-zone outdoor bodyweight Fitness Court, and overhead UV shade canopies at the George M. Silliman Activity and Family Aquatic Center Park at 6800 Mowry Avenue in Newark. Located in southern Alameda County near Fremont at the center of Newark's premier thirty-three-acre athletic, skatepark, and indoor aquatic complex, the revitalized East Bay play and wellness plaza serves more than 250,000 annual Tri-City residents.

Engineered to exceed Americans with Disabilities Act standards so children of all physical and neurodevelopmental abilities can play together, the main play structure features double-wide wheelchair ramps leading to an elevated sensory bridge, a zero-entry inclusive merry-go-round spinner, a dual-rider parent-and-tot expression swing, and a tactile Braille and American Sign Language communication board. Across the entire play zone, crews poured a seamless cushioned EPDM rubber safety floor in ocean blue and lime green.

Directly beside the playground perimeter path, the city partnered with the National Fitness Campaign to install a 38-foot-by-38-foot outdoor Fitness Court equipped with thirty pieces of shock-resistant bodyweight training hardware—including plyometric boxes, suspension rings, agility ladders, and adaptive wheelchair pull-up bars—paired with a free mobile coaching app. Five cantilevered shade sails block 94 percent of direct solar heat across both plazas.

The $765,000 Silliman Park play and wellness upgrade was approved by the Newark City Council using Park Impact fees and a California State Parks grant. Facility hours are posted on the City of Newark Recreation Portal.