LA GRANDE — Riverside Park Playground soon will be undergoing a magical renovation.

Crews will begin removing the old playground on April 28 and prepping the site for the installation of the new equipment, according to a press release from the La Grande Parks and Recreation Department.

“Thanks to generous funding from businesses and individuals, and grants from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, the Wildhorse Foundation and others, plans to rebuild the playground at Riverside Park this May are on schedule,” La Grande Parks and Rec Director Stu Spence said.

While the handprint plaques from the original playground installation will be saved, Spence said residents can pick up the old donor fence pickets and commemorative plaques starting April 30. These items will be laid out near the horseshoe pits on the north side of the park.

In 2022, the department had the manufacturer of the Riverside Park playground equipment — Ithaca, New York-based Leathers and Associates — out to perform an additional inspection due to the age of the structures.

While the playground was in good shape at that time, the consultant recommended Parks and Rec should start planning for a replacement within the next year or two. This recommendation was made due to splitting on the main support posts and the overall framing showing its age. The playground is made of wood, which has a limited lifespan and is more susceptible to weathering. This is especially true in the Northeastern Oregon climate.

A volunteer committee of about 20 community members began working on the Riverside Playground replacement project at the beginning of 2023. Committee members decided the theme for the new playground structure would be a magical forest. Like the existing playground, it was important to the committee that the new structure be a destination playground — a place that draws crowds from surrounding areas for its unique design and wide range of activities.

The committee ultimately selected Ross Recreation Equipment, of Santa Rosa, California, for the replacement project. The new playground design is online at lagrandeplayground.org.

Parks and Rec is aiming to have the new playground in by the end of May, Spence said, when the department will hold a grand opening and ribbon cutting.