By NATE KING
Salina Post
Salina Parks and Recreation announced yesterday on social media that the playground replacement at Oxbow Park is almost complete. Salina Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Hammond said the new playground pieces were installed at the end of May.
"The original authorization from the City Commission was in December of last year, and then we ordered it, and it arrived," said Hammond. "We ordered that with installation included from the company we purchased it from."
Hammond said Oxbow Park is one of several park playgrounds being replaced as part of the City of Salina's Playground Improvement Plan.
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"As we replace playgrounds, some of our top priorities are ensuring they are fully ADA accessible," Hammond said. "Anything that has a sand surface is not fully ADA accessible. We want to ensure that we replace that with rubber mulch, a wood fiber mulch, or a pore-in-place surface."
Hammond said the playground replaced at Oxbow Park was 26 years old.
Over the next two weeks, parks and recreation staff will add rubber mulch to the playground surface. Hammond said the new playground will have equipment for ages outside of the standard age range.
"Many of our playground equipment in town is designed for ages five to 12. This playground has pieces for ages five to 12 and two to five," Hammond said.
Salina residents won't have to wait long for the playground to be open to the public.
"I anticipate we have a reopening, weather dependent, for July 1," Hammond said. "That's my goal."