Getting ready to play

Dozens of Monroe Boys and Girls Clubs kids helped Mayor Geoffrey Thomas break ground at the site of the future Skykomish River Park playground. Behind them, soaked from the day’s steady rain, was the 25-year-old equipment that will be leveled and replaced by early summer.

Monroe City Councilmember and Boys and Girls Club director Jeff Rasmussen helped pass out ceremonial golden shovels after Thomas finished a speech to a small, but lively crowd that huddled under tall white tents. There was some dancing and jumping involved.

“I am just so excited to be seeing this playground replaced here, and I think it’s time for everybody to grab a shovel and start turning dirt,” Thomas said.

The event marked the turning point in a community wide process that involved families, the City of Monroe’s Parks and Recreation Department, parks boards, Monroe City Council and organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club. A number of open houses and public meetings were held to gauge public feedback.

The new playground was also designed with the surrounding scenery in mind. It will be ADA-accessible, and is expected to appeal to a spectrum of age groups. It is slated to be open almost exactly one year after the Lake Tye Park playground’s new equipment opened to the public.

The Lake Tye facility was highly anticipated for its increased accessibility. It includes a ShadowPlay TriRunner, an inclusive feature similar to a spinning swing that can fit multiple riders at one time. It was the first of its kind to be installed in Washington.

Both playgrounds were nearing the end of their lives when city staff decided it was time for an overhaul. Many of the replacement parts are no longer being manufactured. They are also outdated in terms of inclusivity and what kinds of activities are popular and available in the modern industry.

The city worked with Everett-based Sitelines Park & Playground Equipment Inc., which is owned by Alabama-based GameTime, for both projects. The company manufactures commercial playground materials for cities and schools.

The Monroe City Council approved nearly $343,600 in equipment purchases for the Sky River project. Plans for its replacement were included in the park’s six-year master plan, and $350,000 was budgeted for use this year.

Thomas said the costs were covered entirely by revenue from new developments in Monroe — real estate excise taxes and mitigation fees were the sole source of the funds. He said in years past, when new growth was slow, the city has had to put off similar projects.

Monroe participates in a program that makes purchasing the necessary equipment more affordable. Discounts for both playgrounds 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.

Thomas said he enjoyed having the Boys and Girls Club kids at the ceremony, because they are a valuable community partner. The Sky River playground can be seen from the building’s windows, and Denise Jacobsen of the city’s parks department said groups come down regularly to use the park and the equipment.

Members also helped celebrate a new stretching post, pull-up and chin-up bar, parallel bars with a balance disc and a triceps stations that were installed along the park’s trails at the end of last year. Rasmussen headed a collaboration with the city and Snohomish County Councilmember Sam Low to secure the Snohomish County Small Capital Projects Partnership grant that paid for the new equipment, which is just a short distance from the playground.

“I truly hope this is the beginning of something that the community embraces and grabs on to,” he said when the new features went in.