Adams Park

I can walk to this park but have never been able to use it with my children because the Roper students are Always in the park on the equipment. I have tried to go here with kids several times thinking the teenagers would let the preschoolers use the swings or other equipment, but no. I don’t think Birmingham tax dollars should go to a park that is mainly used by a private school, and not the tax paying residents.

I don’t believe that Birmingham residents should be funding an athletic field for a private school.

Thank you for opening up the updated design for feedback !

My home directly faces Adam's park and Roeper School. I have three school age children. I work from home and observe daily how the school and neighborhood engage with this park for the last 8 years. Please consider creating a space that is more multi-functional, intentional, and magical. How can we make this park vibrant all year round? Is there a space which could double as an ice rink? A basketball court with pickle ball lines painted in? The families in our neighborhood are very creative in using our spaces. The kids made a pickle ball court out of chalk at the existing basketball court. Many learn to ride their bike or rollerblade in the summer in the parking lot. I encourage us to be thinking in a 2021 and beyond mindset.

We appreciate Adam's road fencing, trees, resolving drainage and site leveling, and basketball court updates. People do use the basketball courts.

We are concerned about the increased parking along Ridgedale.

I think keeping the green space flexible and not defined only for a "soccer field only" should be considered. Families use the open space for variety of activities. Over-defining this little park could compromise it's flexibility and overbook the space with organized activities. Despite the renderings It is not a large park.

I do not think a splash pad is a good idea.

We should design a dynamic " play area" that allows for more multi-age play that can change or adapt over time. Are we just plopping the same old play equipment in? How do our design choices reflect who we are as a neighborhood? If swings and slides are specified can we consider where we source these items from as long as they are within code and budget? The design concept of Superkilen, an urban park in Copenhagen, supports tolerance and unity and has thoughtfully included items from all over the world like basketball hoops from Mogadishu, a chess table from Romania and set of swings from Iraq.

Can we thoughtfully integrate small moments for those with sensory needs or physical challenges (a section of musical chimes in the fence, tactile experience or community art)?

We do look forward to the park flourishing and connecting our community.

I m for it

I am very excited about this plan. I love all the trees and the nice landscape border around the play area. It would be nice to include some art in the park--a sculpture in the plantings? A windchime or music feature on the fence? A mural? A mosaic installation on the hardscape? Maybe neighborhood and Roeper school could collaborate on a public art installation? I trust the Birmingham Public Arts board will have a look at the plan and make some proposals.

Many commenters have expressed concern about the track and field items requested by Roeper. Its important (and listed in the FAQ) to note Roeper currently uses the park for track and field practice--right in the center of the park! The redesigned park pushes these items closer to Roeper and even camouflages the launch pads and reduces the size of the lanes.

Roeper is a good neighbor. I agree with previous commenter juliegibbs that we should be looking for ways to welcome teens to our parks. I am a member of the Parks and Rec board and I am proud that we have 2 high school students on our board. I hope Roeper administration and parents get input from students to make this a welcoming park for all.

It’s just eating away at me to make one more note: several community members on this site mention not wanting the “high school kids” to hang out at the park. I guess I am just hoping folks can think about that a little bit! We want our high school kids to feel at home in public spaces. We want them swinging on swings and indulging their youth. High school kids are kids too, and are just as worthy of public investment as our littlest ones. When public spaces like the park welcome them and give them space to play pickup games or just hang out among others, they feel more a part of the community instead of ostracized and unwanted. Please think of how much you would rather have a 14 year old swinging on swings or sitting on a park bench, vs stuck on electronics in a basement. It’s so much better for all of us.

I think this is a long-awaited and much-needed investment for Birmingham. I like the placement of the play structures, and appreciate that the plans include a nicer place for caregivers to observe little ones as they are playing.
I'm really excited about having a top quality, well-maintained soccer field (even if it's smaller than a full field) because I think Birmingham can do a much better job maintaining our sports fields. Covid 19 has shown us that we should try to let our kids play sports outside as they used to - not in large sports domes which trap air - and to the extent that Birmingham can invest in our kids' health, this is an excellent area to spend money.
I really love the idea of an upgraded basketball court too. I love seeing folks get together out there for pickup games on evenings and weekends, and also think neighborhood little ones are very creative with using the paved basketball court for other uses! My son uses the basketball court every day at lunch, and as much as he possibly can after school too. It's a well-loved part of the park.
As a parent of a shot putter who attends Roeper, and a Poppleton Park resident, I'm also extremely glad to see that the city intends to honor its purchase agreement which allows the school to still conduct sports activities on the grounds of the park. Anyone who thinks the kids should go practice at Derby
1) has no idea how heavily Derby is utilized after school
2) has never carried a shot put, hurdles, or discus equipment for long distances
3) has not considered that the City of Birmingham would be reneging on a 15 year old agreement to allow the school to use the park
4) perhaps doesn't realize that those facilities already exist at Adams Park - kids have practiced field events there for years and years with no issues.
Our Poppleton Park community is very used to school kids using the park after school, and in fact, it fosters a nice connection with residents. While at track and cross country, my kids have taken lost dogs home to their houses (because they know where they live), seen and said hello to neighbors, and been able to enjoy independence and the vibrant community that Birmingham offers. I really appreciate that this city plan honors its commitment to the Roeper School, to Poppleton Park residents, and to all of Birmingham. It doesn't "reinvent the wheel", but it does make the park safer, healthier, better maintained, and more beautiful. I'm in favor.

Why are you putting track and field facilities in for a private school? Was the part of the land purchase deal or is this area to be utilized by Derby?

It needs more green space. The kid play area is too large.

Not so keen on the discus and shot put areas. I can see an accident so near traffic. Add more benches in other areas than the playground. Consider a walking path all the way around instead of the shot put area

Please do not add a splash pad - this would be for a narrow market. Keep the basketball court. We have plenty of tennis courts but NO basketball court which serves a much broader age group from kids to adults. Keep the basketball court. No kids plat pickle ball! Consider adding more parking so parents attending soccer games are not parking in the neighborhood streets.
Thanks for allowing feedback

I don't think it's appropriate to put a shot put and discus area in this park. I also don't think it's necessary to put a splash area in this park. This park is hardly utilized. I live near the area and often drive by on Adam's Road. No one is there. In the evening there will be a group of people playing on the basketball courts or during school the children from the school will utilize the area. I don't think it's a good location for a pickleball court. This park is too small for this type of court. There is plenty of room for pickleball courts at Kenning Park, near the ice rink. If pickle ball courts to be built there should be more than 1 court built. This is not a big park. When my boys were younger, their soccer teams used this field for practices and games. They did not attend Roeper and their soccer organization was the local BBSC. I think this is a good plan that is probably not overly pricey and serves to update the park making it more appealing to families.

My first reaction is that the plan is a very modest investment especially considering the 2016 voter approval. It really adds very little to what already exists in the park. I also think that Roeper would be better served by leasing track and field facilities that work for their entire team. Perhaps Derby has such facilities. When shot put and discus are practicing other areas of the park can’t effectively be used. The facilities in this park should complement those in nearby Poppleton Park. The plan tries to be a little bit of everything with no real focus or theme. For instance, putting a soccer field in the park that has very limited public parking (Roeper owns the parking lot) and is adjacent to Adams and Ridgedale doesn’t seem very sensible. Basically my reaction to this plan which is well over a decade in process is Meh! Back to the drawing board.

This plan is simply an athletic field for Roeper with some small play area for the children.

Agree with many comments below. Keep the flying discs and shots away. Play area surface - please use modern permeable soft recycled rubber materials not wood chips, Add more benches for seating around the play area for parents and kids to take a break, Include play equipment for kids of all ages - 1-12 require different things.

please do not put a splash pad in Adams Park. This seems highly irresponsible to request directly next to a school. The abandoned lot near the ice arena, where the Lincoln Yard was supposed to go, would be a significantly better location for a splash pad.
I agree with expanding the greenery and play areas, I would also love consideration of a small community garden. The long jump and shot put areas seem unnecessary and mainly tailored to the needs of Roeper. Looking forward to this park being used by the community more.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this design and for the thoughtfulness that has gone into the plan. As a resident who lives just one block away, this plan is important to me. I have two main questions/thoughts I'd like to share:
(1) Street parking is often tight and the streets are congested during Roeper's school day. To that end, if Roeper will be benefitting from the use of the park, will the school also be making its parking lot available for residents, at least during non-school hours?
(2) As for the layout/uses for the park, I would love to see an ice rink during the winter months, perhaps over the soccer field area. The Birmingham Ice Arena is a great facility, but it has limited capacity, and an outdoor seasonal rink would be an excellent addition here.
Thank you for your consideration.

The community benefits from a multigenerational playground.
However, play environments allow parents and grandparents to participate in an activity with their young ones and amplifies the fun for everyone.

Beyond family play, features such as gym equipment, chess boards, and a series of walking paths motivate adults to get to the park to enjoy these amenities solo or with friends.

A natural water play area and a musical garden area stimulate social interactions between generations and offer a place of respite.

Instead of a basketball court, a butterfly-inspired climbing structure would be more used.

I think the discus and shot put are inappropriate for a city park. And I’d rather see more play area instead of the basketball court. And I’d love many more trees in the interior of the park

Not a bad start, though pretty uninspiring and woefully underequipped. Please expand the play structure and add a splash pad or a creative new element - perhaps sacrificing the basketball court (anecdotally, 99% of the time no one is using a public b-ball court). Booth Park downtown is a great model for a creative use of space.

Frankly, our parks in Birmingham are significantly falling behind other cities, like West Bloomfield, Farmington and Royal Oak who all have beautiful new play structures and splash pads. We have this beautiful space to make something great....SO MAKE SOMETHING GREAT (within budget constraints of course). This community has invested in this property and is now invested in this park - please build something that we are proud of and can USE...frequently!

Looking forward to the next iteration!

The park looks amazing but agree with other comments that I can't image residents using a shotput and long jump areas which seem like a waste in such a small park. As a private school, I am not sure I understand why Birmingham residents are paying to provide these elements. It makes more sense to me to use that space for a splash park etc that serves the community versus a private school.