A Lake Tye Park playground inclusive

The new playground at Lake Tye Park has reopened.

While families spent the past week trying out the new features, the official dedication was held Thursday, June 1. Designer Shawna Birkett was in attendance; it was one of the few times she has been able to see her own plans put to use.

“There’s a reason for my madness at every angle,” she said, looking around at the bustling scene.

Birkett modeled much of the equipment to align with the other staples of the park, such as the 42-acre lake used by swimmers and boaters. It was her first time creating and incorporating a frog, trout and waterfall into a play space.

Gary Max, president of the Everett-based Sitelines Park & Playground Equipment Inc., came to Birkett last February with a request for a new playground in Monroe. The city wanted it open for use by Memorial Day weekend. Max’s advice to his employee was to “make it cool.”

“I said, ‘I want it. Give it to me, this will be perfect,’ ” Birkett said.

Birkett also tried to use the new equipment as a way to complement other park features like the teal benches — the color is from 1990s era designs — surrounding the playground. Perhaps the most progressive feature is the ADA-accessible equipment. There has been a major push in recent years in the U.S. to build more opportunities in communities where all children can join in, she said.

At the Lake Tye playground there are “transfer points at each unit, which means someone in a wheelchair could transfer out and scooch up on the equipment,” Birkett said. All of the musical toys, the trout and dock are also wheelchair-accessible, and the rubber that covers a portion of the playground’s surface, as well as the wood chips, are for ADA users, she said.

Kids are taking notice.

McKenzie Bennett came last Thursday with her sister, Sevena, to play in the sunshine. The two spent some time waiting in line and riding the TriRunner, an inclusive feature that fits three riders at once.

Bennett said she had never been on anything like it before. She said she liked the new playground more because of the variety of equipment, and how much busier it was.

Monroe is the second city in Washington to get one of the playthings, Birkett said. Pasco had its set installed less than one week earlier, she said.

“This playground is way better than the one they had before,” said parent Christina McClelland.

She came with her husband, Matt, and 3-year-old son, Cillian. The family noticed how the new features were more interactive than the previous installation, and that more children are able to enjoy the playground.

Arica Simmer, who came with a few of her own children and their friends that afternoon, said the group had been anticipating the reopening since they saw the playground was under construction.

Mayor Geoffrey Thomas led the dedication ceremony last week. He said the new playground is also meant for multigenerational play. The intentionally designed play spaces will hopefully lessen the hurdles to physical and social experiences among users, he said.

The previous playground was leveled about two months ago. The official groundbreaking was held March 16. The 20-year-old equipment was reaching the end of its life, had dated features and lacked inclusivity.

In 2016, the Monroe City Council authorized nearly $317,550 for the project, which had been planned for in the Parks Capital Improvement Project fund. Thomas said the playground was partially funded by revenue from new homes and home sales in Monroe.

Roughly $300,000 was budgeted for the replacement in the parks department’s 2017 CIP fund, and about $20,000 was taken from the fund balance. Discounts for the playground equipment were around 24 percent of the listed price through the U.S. Communities Nationwide Purchasing Cooperative, which helps agencies purchase services and materials through a competitive bidding process.

At the dedication, Thomas thanked the volunteer Monroe Parks Board for its input on the design, and the Monroe Parks and Recreation Department for its work on the project.

Park board member Karin Coppernoll has a 17-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy, and has been pushing for more inclusive features for almost a decade. She said this playground will be a space for people with any ability to spend time and interact with other members of the community.