What’s in store for the playground at Centennial Park?
A public open house on Wednesday, May 15, 7-9 p.m., at the Sportsplex will present two conceptual designs for upgrades focusing on a natural playscape and a multi-sport court.
“Planning for the upgrades began with two focus groups providing input into the current state and uses of the park and their ideas for potential improvements,” says Lynn Wark, the city’s parks project supervisor.
The first focus group was Grade 6 students from Phoenix school who are frequent park visitors. The students described how they use the park, what kinds of other opportunities they’d like to see and then got a chance to help design the kinds of natural elements they would like to see included in a natural playscape.
The second focus group included stakeholders with special interests in the park and local childcare providers who specialize in children’s needs.
Both focus groups had strong support for a multi-sport court, with a high desire for basketball and ball hockey space.
“The concept of enhanced play space with the addition of a natural playscape was extremely well-received, especially by the students and childcare providers,” Wark says.
Centennial Park upgrades will be funded through a Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund (CIIF) grant worth $225,000 and $225,000 from the City’s Parks Parcel Tax. The 2006 Strategic Parks Plan placed a high priority on replacing deteriorating playgrounds in city parks. Centennial Park playground reaches the end of its 15-year life cycle and is due for replacement in 2013.