Wellness Park playground expected to open this month

WASHINGTON — A new playground in the Washington Wellness Park is under construction, with city officials hoping to open the structure the week of Sept. 25.

While the equipment itself is already standing, Washington Parks Superintendent Nick Pacha said it was closed for play as crews work to install a rubber safe-fall surface that will make the area ADA-compliant. That’s a big deal for many community members: no other playground in Washington meets the law’s accessibility standards.

“This was designed to make sure that we had accessibility for folks with mobility issues or on the autism spectrum, we’ve got some motor skills stuff on there from sounds to different things they can feel and touch,” he said. “The basic structures will still have what I would call typical, old-school ladders and stairs and such, but once it’s completed with surfaces in place … you can roll up to five or six different play things in a wheelchair or walker.”

The addition is a long time coming for Washington’s newest recreation area. Originally included in concept plans drafted in 2017, Pacha said its construction was delayed by budget trade-offs until last November, when the city placed an order for all the necessary parts.

The shipping process was a little faster than expected, and those pieces arrived earlier this year.

The amenity is one of several steps planned to make the Wellness Park “more like a park,” rather than simply a sports complex, its current primary function.

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It’s hardly the last of the area’s improvement plans. City council members agreed last week to start drafting designs and cost estimates for “Phase III” of the park, which Pacha said could include more trails through the area, a pond, and various pavilions. Officials are also pursuing grants for soccer field lighting and new restrooms.

Pacha said he was happy with how things were coming together.

“We’ve got a nice pavilion up there from the Rotary, the David Collins Memorial Pavillion, … and this play set helps it transition to more like a park,” Pacha said. “And it also helps with all the sports tournaments going on, it gives siblings an opportunity to play around while maybe an older brother or sister is playing baseball or softball or soccer.”

The project was funded by several sources, including a $150,000 Riverboat Foundation grant, a $100,000 match from the city, $30,000 more from the hotel/motel tax committee, $50,000 from the local Kiwanis clubs, and various other monetary and in-kind contributions from area businesses and organizations. Pacha said the total cost added up to a total of around $350,000.

“That was really neat to see, all the support from the community and the different groups and businesses that rallied to get on board,” he said. “Everybody was really excited.”

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