New playground features to be unveiled
City hosting celebration in park on Saturday
When news broke of a fire at the beloved “Castle Park” in December 2015, members of the Yuma community sprang to action that very night, setting up donation accounts and organizing fundraisers to bring the playground back.
Then, when the insurance company announced they would cover the cost of rebuilding, the city promised to apply the donations to “bigger, better, safer” improvements. Several of those new features will come to life this Saturday.
The city invites residents to the unveiling of the first expansion at the Stewart Vincent Wolfe Creative Playground on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. inside Yuma’s West Wetlands Park.
“Since its reopening, the citizens of Yuma have been eagerly anticipating the expansion of the Stewart Vincent Wolf Creative Playground to make it bigger, better and safer,” said Yuma Parks and Recreation Director Debbie Wendt. “Now, with the fundraising efforts and support of those citizens, and the hard work of the Parks and Rec staff, the first phase of the expansion is here, and we invite everyone to come out Saturday.”
The playground’s rebuilding project incorporated some “better, safer” features including a fire suppression system and enhanced security features.
The new features include a zipline with two bays, one of which is ADA accessible, allowing children of all abilities to experience the thrill of racing along the 66-foot track and enjoy a new adventure in an exciting, safe way.
Other features include a giant TriNet climbing structure, nearly 18 feet tall, which can support up to 60 children climbing all at once, and a comfort swing which uses face-toface design, allowing parents to swing and interact with their small children while maintaining eye contact.
Each new feature also has wood chip ground cover for increased comfort and safety.
Two additional elements — a six-piece musical feature and a water feature — have been planned as additional expansions and could be installed if community donations continue. Anyone interested in contributing to the growth and enjoyment of the Creative Playground can do so by donating through the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, 180 W. 1st St., Suite E. Checks should be made out to the Heritage Area with a note in the memo line for the “bigger, better playground.”
“Once again the City of Yuma would like to thank everyone for the steadfast support as we work hard to create something wonderful, literally, from the ashes of something terrible, and we invite you to celebrate the next steps towards a bigger, better, and safer Castle Park,” Wendt said.