Construction on Thompson Park’s playground has come to completion and is ready for use. Installation of the new playground is part of ongoing efforts to enhance Parks & Rec facilities throughout Upper Arlington.

Thank you to all who provided feedback on this project. Your insights helped shape the final construction, as Parks & Rec took survey results into great consideration. Over 200 residents participated in the initial survey, where parents indicated open slides, toddler play, and rope climbers were important to the new development. When it came to the kids, they let us know rope bridges, climbing play, and spinners were some of their favorite features.

Based on the initial feedback, our playground vendor, Midstates Recreation, provided three potential options for the design of the new playground. These concepts were shared with the community through an additional online survey, and this time 515 residents participated. In addition to selecting a favorite concept, we also asked residents to provide any additional feedback that would be helpful in the design. The most common feedback was the importance of shade and maintaining existing trees on site. Staff worked with Midstates Recreation to add a large shade sail to the main structure. Additionally, the playground was carefully sited to minimize the impact to existing trees. A couple of trees were ultimately removed for the project, but these are trees that were already scheduled for removal based on an assessment of the health of the tree. Additional new trees have been planted at the playground to help supplement the trees that are removed.

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback during this process. Your feedback was integral to the shaping of the new playground. Thompson Park awaits you!