LA GRANDE — Not many 20 year olds go running through the Riverside Park playground, but a lot of kids are running around on the 20-year-old playground.

La Grande Parks and Recreation announced on the city’s website and on Facebook that the time has come to replace the park’s playground equipment. Parks and Rec Director Stu Spence wants to get the community involved in the process because community volunteers were the driving force that brought the existing playground to Riverside Park.

“Our mission is to get as many people there as possible,” he said.

Playground inspection

Parks and Rec regularly inspects playgrounds to assess the structures and ensure safety, Spence said. Last fall Parks and Rec had the manufacturer of the Riverside Park playground equipment come out to perform an additional inspection due to the age of the structure. The consultant recommended that while the playground is currently still in good shape, Parks and Rec should start planning for a replacement within the next year or two.

The department received a price estimate with the manufacturer’s assessment on what it would cost to refurbish the playground, Spence said. The renovation, along with the price of materials and associated fees for design, project management and construction consultation, was estimated to cost around $88,500. The estimate also does not include the cost of labor, so either city staff or a contractor would need to complete the work.

Spence said the estimated cost to refurbish the structure would be comparable to purchasing a new playground. At this point a refurbishment would add only an additional five to 10 years to the lifespan of the playground, whereas new equipment would last between 20 and 30 years.

The 2022 Parks Master Plan identified replacing the Riverside Park playground as a priority for the department. The plan is a resident-driven document established to provide clear directions for city staff, committee members and elected officials when it comes to parks and recreation facilities. Nearly 500 residents — 411 identified as being in La Grande — responded to the survey that the department and its advisory council used to gather input when creating the updated plan.

Committee, design and possible project timeline

Given all of these reasons, Parks and Rec made the decision to invest in new playground equipment for Riverside Park. Spence said the city wants the community to be involved in the process, which is why the department is putting together a Riverside Playground Replacement Committee.

The committee will have the opportunity to design the new playground, according to Spence. The current structure has a castle theme, which the committee could decide to stick with or change up. They will also pick out what component and features they want included. Design professionals on staff with the manufacturing company will then put together mock-ups and options for the playground.

Once the design is finalized, Parks and Rec and the committee will set a fundraising target. Spence said ideally he would like to see any funding applications complete in the spring of 2024 and for the project to be fully funded by fall of that year. This would allow the playground to be built in the spring of 2025 so it would be ready for children by the summer.

This timeline, however, is completely flexible. Spence said the project could either move faster or slower than anticipated based on the design process and donors.

The committee will also have the important task of deciding what to do with the commemorative plaques currently embedded throughout Riverside Park’s playground. Spence said he is sure the committee will come up with a creative way to incorporate the plaques into the new playground.

Residents response

So far residents have had mixed responses to the news. In Facebook comments on the Parks and Rec’s post about the kickoff meeting, some people have expressed concerns about losing this piece of La Grande history and would rather see upkeep go into the existing equipment. Others are excited about the new equipment and would like to see a playground that is designed to be more accessible for all children.

A community kickoff meeting for replacing La Grande’s Riverside Park playground will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 6 p.m. in the Community Room at Cook Memorial Library.

For updates on the project and to sign up to receive invitations to future meetings, follow the link at www.cityoflagrande.org/parks-recreation.