The new playground equipment for Sooner, Johnstone, Robinwood and Douglass parks has been installed and will be ready for use this week, Parks Superintendent Bobby Robinson said Tuesday.
“The installation is complete in all four parks,” Robinson said. “We expect the fencing will be removed this week and we’ll begin laying sod around the perimeters on Friday, assuming the weather holds up.”
Robinson said kids can start using the equipment once the fencing has been removed.
“They can go ahead and get on the equipment once the fencing has been taken down,” he said. “We’ll be laying sod during working hours, in the daytime, so having kids on the equipment while we’re doing that shouldn’t be a problem. And we can always ask them to play in a different area for a few minutes, until we’re finished.”
The upgrades are in time for “Kids to Parks Day” on May 19, Community Development Director Lisa Beeman said.
Kids to Parks Day, organized and launched by the National Park Trust, is held annually on the third Saturday of May.
“Kids to Parks Day is a day set aside to help empower children and encourage families to get out-doors and visit America’s parks,” Beeman said. “Not only is it important to introduce a new generation to our nation’s parks, it’s also another tool we can use to help combat the prevalence of many childhood diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. We’re happy to have the new park equipment installed and ready for kids to play on in time for this day of national recognition for our community parks.”