Black Bob Park

Black Bob Park, an 80-acre community hub in Olathe, Kansas, has long been a place for connection and recreation. While the park already featured sports fields, a fishing pond, a farmers market, and the adjacent Black Bob Bay, a master planning process led by TESSERE revealed a critical need: a new, inclusive playground. Our goal was to design this new playground to be accessible and engaging for all ages and abilities including age specific play areas, swings for shared parent-child activity, an accessible nest swing, sensory dome and ADA pathways and ramps. The project also included a new restroom facility, expanded parking for Black Bob Bay, and vital drainage improvements.

Environmental stewardship was central to the project. The playground layout was carefully designed to preserve mature trees, integrating play areas into the natural landscape without removing any existing trees. Sustainable stormwater management was also prioritized. A vegetated swale and detention area in the northern park section help manage runoff from the adjacent parking lot, supporting the park’s ecosystem.