By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
Ground has been broken on the new children’s playground designed for Lake Gregory Regional Park. The location is next to the Lake Gregory Meadow and dog park at the east end of Lake Gregory near the San Moritz Lodge.
The playground has a new, ADA-accessible design, which is packed with features to entertain kids and families of all abilities to learn, play and grow together on this brand-new, state-of-the-art playground. This playground equipment will enable children of all abilities to develop physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally, while they play.
The playground project at Lake Gregory Regional Park features several climbing and play structures and is made out of recycled milk carton material, which is intended to weather the mountain climate and have a long life. Nathan Godwin has been promoting this play structure for the regional park for the past several years. It has been anxiously anticipated by parents since it was first announced. At last month’s Crest Forest Municipal Advisory Council meeting, Godwin announced the playground equipment had arrived and he wanted to begin the installation as soon as possible. There was no formal ground-breaking ceremony; he just wanted to get the project started.
The main structure is designed for ages 5 to 12, featuring 28 built-in activities. It has built-in shade panels for hot summer days and has features to develop skills like climbing, and balance, as well as a ropes course.
The secondary structure is designed for younger children, ages 2 to 5, and features eight built-in activities. It is made with 69 percent post-consumer recycled materials and can accommodate 15 to 20 children at a time.
Another of the play structures is the swing set which has traditional seats, toddler buckets and a modern disc swing for additional accessibility.
The fourth structure is the Pyramid Spinner. It has proven to be a huge hit at parks nationwide and will be a new feature in these mountains. This play structure will attract families who appreciate good playground activities for their children.
This week the ground is being leveled and the foundation footings for the equipment getting dug. It is anticipated that the playground should be completed in about four months, weather permitting.
This project has spent the last several years getting funded and getting the building permits approved. The playground has excellent community support and is expected to be a considered a “destination playground” and is anticipated to attract parents with children to come up the mountain just to have their children play on it.
The new playground is also ecologically responsible, averaging over 50 percent reclaimed material in each structure. The decks, enclosures and roofs are made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) formed from milk jugs. The company has diverted more than 18 million milk jugs from landfills since 2005 while making these playgrounds. The metal used is recycled, repurposed scrap metal from old automobiles.
Up to 30 children should be able to enjoy the playground equipment at the same time. Access to
the equipment will be free, although the those who want to park a car in the nearby parking lot will have to pay $2 for the first hour and $1 per hour after that, the same price as parking for the nearby dog park. An annual parking pass is available for $89.
For more information on the playground equipment at Lake Gregory and other improvements at Lake Gregory, visit www.Lakegregory.com/development.
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