Thank you to everyone that provided feedback on the new playground at Thompson Park! Outreach began in October 2023, with an initial survey to find out what residents would like to see in a new design. We had over 200 residents participate, including 19 children’s worksheets completed by the true playground experts, kids! Parents said that open slides, toddler play and rope climbers were important parts of a playground design. The kids let us know that 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 online survey, and this time 515 residents participated. The favorite concept was Option 2 with 50% of the vote. Option 1 was a distant second with 29% and Option 3 got 22%. In addition to selecting a favorite concept, we also asked residents to provide any other comments that would be helpful in the design of the new playground. The most repeated comment that was received was the importance of shade and maintaining existing trees on site. In response to this, Staff worked with Midstates Recreation to add a large shade sail to the main structure of Option 2. Additionally, the playground was carefully sited to minimize the impact to existing trees. A couple of trees will be 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 will be planted at the playground to help supplement the trees that are removed. Also, staff have made plans to supplement the playground in the future with an adjacent nature play area which will be installed in future years.
Again, thank you to everyone that provided input on the new playground. Removal of the existing playground will begin early this spring to prepare the site for the new playground. We anticipate that the new playground will be installed in time for the 2024 Summer Day Camp.