Costa Mesa OKs $1.4M playground for disabled

The Costa Mesa City Council has approved the construction of the city’s first playground for the disabled. The $1.4-million project at TeWinkle Park will be funded through a grant from the state Parks and Recreation Department and private fundraising by the Angels Charity nonprofit.

Costa Mesa will also contribute approximately $200,000 to the project, said Doug Hansen, who founded Angels Charity with his wife, Jennifer, in 2003.

The Hansens started the nonprofit after their daughter Angel’s second birthday. Angel, born with birth defects, is the inspiration for both the charity and the project, Hansen said.

“You could say that this is because of her,” Hansen said, noting that there are fewer than 200 parks in the country that are accessible to the disabled.

The groundbreaking for the project is scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday at TeWinkle Park, 970 Arlington Drive.

— Chris Caesar