The sights and sounds of children gleefully playing on a playground will return soon to Arnold City Park.
The Arnold Parks and Recreation Department will hold a grand opening from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 18, to celebrate the completion of the new playground being installed at the park, 1 Bradley Beach Road off Jeffco Boulevard near the Meramec River.
“We are super excited,” said Ajsa Hukic, Parks and Recreation Department deputy director. “We know a lot of people used the old playground at Arnold City Park. We are happy we could build a new playground so quickly.”
The city park has not had a playground since September.
The previous playground, which was 25 years old, was removed after Parks and Recreation Department employees discovered numerous parts of the structure were rotting.
Arnold is paying $304,709 to Hutchison Recreation and Design of Lake St. Louis for the new playground and installation. Miracle manufactured the playground.
Hukic said the parks and rec department expects a big crowd for the grand opening, which will be held in conjunction with the Arnold Farmers Market’s Strawberry Festival. The market is open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays near the park’s entrance.
The playground is located near the Dogwood Pavilion, lake and restrooms.
“It will be great,” Hukic said of the grand opening. “At parks and recreation, we are here to help create memories. It will be great to see the smiling faces on the kids because they haven’t had a playground at this park in a while.”
Hukic said the parks and rec department will provide updates and more information about the grand opening on its Facebook page.
She said the playground currently is roped off and should not be used before the grand opening.
“It is for everyone’s safety that it is not used yet,” she said.
New playground
Parks and Recreation Department Director Dave Crutchley said the new playground will be about twice the size as the previous one, and the main portion will have a two-tier tower system with a 2-foot deck and an 8-foot deck. Two towers will be connected by a bridge, and a slide will come off each of the two towers.
A fence has been installed around the playground area, and a paved walking path will surround the playground.
Crutchley said an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-accessible ramp will be included on the lower level of the tower system, allowing access to the 2-foot deck. The playground also will include a smaller 2-foot platform and structure recommended for children between the ages of 2 and 5. The playground also will have a net spinner, a merry-go-round-type structure with a cone-shaped net stretched over the top.
In addition, the playground will include two climbing structures, a swing set with traditional bench swings, a bucket swing, an ADA-accessible swing and a generation swing, which allows an adult to swing with a child.
The base cost for the playground was $272,750, but the city is paying more to add features – a second double GlideAlong ride, which is described by the manufacturer as part swing and part track ride, and a Mantis Glide, which is a 90-foot zipline ride.
“All of it is really cool, but I think the zipline will be the most popular part of the new playground,” Hukic said. “We have never had a zip line at any of our parks. I know kids love ziplines.”