NEW YEAR, AND A NEW PLAYGROUND
OROVILLE » The Feather River Recreation and Park District will be ringing in the New Year with the a new playground at Riverbend Park.
The new play area, Bear Rock Playground, will include a “merry- go-round” climber large enough for many children to play on and spin around at the same time; several smaller rota
tion climbers designed for one or two kids at a time; and, several large outdoor instruments.
A large xylophone with 13 fiberglass bars that sound like a marimba and can be played with large mallets that are attached by cables. Another of the outdoor instruments look like a cluster of lily pads — 10 aluminum, silver, anodized discs that may be played with one of three attached mallets. The third instru
ment is a sculpture made from pipes resembling organ pipes that may also be played by striking with a mallet.
Rounding out the new play area will be colorful shade structures designed like large flowers.
“We have a really nice traditional playground with swings and slide by the soccer field. The spin and musical equipment in this new play area is something we think the kids will really like. It’s been very popular at other playgrounds and playground expos,” said Shawn Rohrbacker, general manager.
The Bear Rock Playground will replace the water play area. While the water playground area was a popular park, several issues including the water source and drainage; the electronics to operate the fountains; and flooding made it unfeasible to maintain.
“We know the water play area was a favorite, and we are looking to relocate it to another one of our parks maybe, to Playtown USA, but we’re still evaluating locations,” said Rohrbacker.
Prior to deciding on a design for the Bear Rock Playground, FRRPD hosted four public workshops to gather input for the community. Initial preparation of the site began in late October, and the cost for the new playground is $250,000 including the new equipment.
The funds for the project came from the insurance money collected by FRRPD following the unprecedented flooding in 2017 following the break in the Oroville Dam spillway.
Instead of replacing all the turf and associated irrigation present prior to the 2017 flood, FRRPD changed substantial areas of Riverbend to drought tolerant landscaping eliminating the need to replace and maintain an irrigation system for that area. This saved the district money which was then used for other improvements and projects in the park including the amphitheater, a parking lot by the soccer field, paving the road to the pond, rebuilding and enhancing the beach and installing the new playground.
“We worked with the public to create the new playground with innovative equipment. It will provide a place for kids to exercise and stimulate their musical curiosity,” said Rohrbacker.