A big new piece of playground equipment is taking shape in Liberty Park.
Called the Saratoga, the equipment will offer four slides, plenty of places for kids to climb and a kind of kaleidoscope structure that will cast colored light on everything when the sun shines.
Andrew Dwyer, executive director of the Kewanee Park District, said a concrete slab will be poured next week, and the new equipment will soon be ready for children to use.
According to the web site of GameTime, manufacturers of the equipment, “Saratoga is an exciting PowerScape play system designed for children ages 5-12. This unit. . .combines the beauty of an outdoor art installation with decades of play research to create a one-of-a-kind outdoor experience.”
Dwyer said, “Our goal is to make each and every playground useful for kids from 1 to 12 or 13.”
The monkey bars, rope chains and other “climbing stuff,” he said, should offer a good workout for older kids.
Climbing from one end of the structure to the other will be a challenge, and will provide “quite a workout,” Dwyer said.
“It’s not easy,” he said. “It’s going to take you awhile.”
The price of the Saratoga is $124,237, but Dwyer GameTime provided a $60,000 grant to the park district, cutting the cost almost in half.
The Saratoga is the most visible of several improvements being planned at Liberty — that is, unless the state approves a grant that would pay for a splash pad in the park.
Lighting in the area of the playground has been upgraded, which Dwyer said should discourage vandalism. There are also plans to install picnic tables.
Dwyer said is goal is “getting back to neighborhood parks.”
“There’s nothing better than taking the kids to the park and letting them play,” he said.
