Park Designed for Special Fun

A new recreation facility designed for use by physically and mentally disabled children as well as able-bodied youngsters has opened at Elysian Park. Called the Pepsi Playpark, it gives children such as Melissa Reyes, who gets a hand from Nadine Munguia, the opportunity to enjoy playground activities. The park features slides, swings, monkey bars and pole rings. Adaptations for the disabled include equipment placed at special heights, transfer bars, a special sandbox and a rubber ground cover for wheelchairs. The playground at Elysian Park, 929 Academy Road, marks the first phase of a program to create a center completely adapted for the disabled. Pepsi-Cola Los Angeles donated five cents for every two-liter Pepsi product sold during the summer months to fund the program. Since 1988, the company has funded 40 parks in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.