All-Season Recreation
Covered court activity
A roofed court can support basketball, skills clinics, open play, fitness, community gatherings, and other activities despite coastal rain and seasonal weather.
Parks Across the Coast
Safe play. All-season activity. Coastal connection.
Parks Across the Coast is a WhaleWorks recreation and community partnership initiative beginning with a proposed Whale of a Cone Park in Westport. The vision centers on a covered basketball court, a complete playground, family gathering space, inclusive design, and a model that can be adapted by other coastal towns.
The Westport Pilot
A recreation destination designed for coastal life.
The developing skate park and pump tracks in Westport create an opportunity to think bigger about family recreation. A complementary park nearby could welcome younger children, basketball players, families, spectators, and residents who may not use wheeled recreation facilities directly.
The proposed Whale of a Cone Park would be built around public purpose, youth voice, accessibility, safe sightlines, durable coastal materials, and a long-term maintenance plan.
- Covered basketball court for year-round activity
- Slides, jungle gyms, climbing, and multi-age play
- Accessible paths, seating, lighting, and family amenities
- Connection to the skate park and pump-track destination
- Youth clinics, tournaments, events, and community service
- A replicable framework for additional coastal communities
Complete Family Park
The whole nine yards
Play equipment, climbing, slides, gathering space, rest areas, clear circulation, and activities for different ages can create a park where families stay and return.
Coastal Expansion
One excellent pilot first
After the Westport model demonstrates safe operations, community use, maintenance capacity, and measurable benefit, WhaleWorks can develop a toolkit for other coastal towns.
Partnership Model
A public-serving project built through shared responsibility.
WhaleWorks can lead mission alignment, youth engagement, fundraising, programming, evaluation, and the replication framework. Whale of a Cone can serve as the founding local business partner, community connector, promotional supporter, event collaborator, and potential source of earned or donated support.
Public agencies, schools, recreation advocates, businesses, foundations, service clubs, families, and young people may contribute land, planning expertise, permits, infrastructure, funding, volunteers, equipment, programming, and long-term stewardship.
First Step
Convene a Westport pilot planning meeting.
Bring WhaleWorks, Whale of a Cone, public partners, youth, families, recreation advocates, and prospective funders together to evaluate sites, confirm community priorities, and establish a project steering group.
Join the conversation