Second gen playground opens to children

PORT ANGELES — “It is open! This playground is open!”

That was the proclamation of Dream Playground Foundation President Steve Methner as he addressed an assembly of children, parents and volunteers during the soft opening of the Generation II Dream Playground at Erickson Playfield on Friday.

Construction fences had been removed earlier in the day, allowing hundreds of children and their parents to explore the play equipment on the first day of public access before a pause for a short ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday evening.

And then they were free.

Slides were slid upon. Swings were swung. Play structures were climbed. Youngsters marveled at the gift they had been given.

A crew from Ohio-based ForeverLawn finished installing the play surface last week and the playground received city certification on Thursday, clearing the way for Friday’s soft opening.

As children screamed with glee in the background, Methner said he was delighted to see the play equipment finally be used by its intended audience.

“It’s overwhelming,” he said. “It’s hard to believe it’s actually happening – has happened. It’s so neat to see so many people here all at once to kick it off right.

“It’s pretty heartwarming.”

A formal dedication ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 11 — the 19th anniversary of the dedication of the original mostly-wood Dream Playground, which was razed earlier this year amid concerns about safety and maintenance.

Like its predecessor, Generation II was built by community members during a series of builds that began at the beginning of summer.

The original construction timeline called for the play equipment to be assembled by community members over a six-day period in June, but a shortage of volunteers combined with record-breaking temperatures caused the project to fall short of that goal, despite the work of nearly 500 people who braved sweltering heat to take part in the build.

A second two-day build in July drew about 200 volunteers to bring the major projects to completion, allowing for installation of an artificial play surface designed specifically for playgrounds.

The nonprofit Dream Playground Foundation raised nearly $600,000 to build the new play area, which was originally scheduled for 2020 but was pushed back a year by COVID-19.

Additional construction delays were brought on by a shortage of raw materials and a mechanical breakdown of a truck delivering the play surface.

The new playground, built mostly of modern composite materials, has clear sight lines for parents to keep watch on their children and features more open space. It also will be more durable.

Port Angeles Parks & Recreation Director Corey Delikat, who is also an ex officio member of the Dream Playground Foundation’s board of directors, said the foundation’s partnership with the city was key to the success of the project. He noted the valuable contributions made by volunteers who made it happen.

“That’s the only way you can get things done because there’s just not money in the general fund for something like this.” he said. ”You’re looking at a million dollar playground right now.”

During a short speech at the playground’s opening ceremony, Methner told the audience that despite delays in the construction timeline, the efforts of community members were a marvel to behold.

“It really is magic to watch this stuff happen,” he said. “It goes from a blank piece of ground on a Tuesday morning, usually, to this by a Sunday afternoon.

“We had a couple of speed bumps, but it is magic to see something that you have no idea how it’s going to get put together, and then all of a sudden, there it is by the end of the day.”

As a closing directive to the children, Methner told them to play hard and make the fullest use of the equipment.

“We hope this thing is here for 30 years,” he said. “And then we’ll do it again.”

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Photojournalist Keith Thorpe can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 59050, or at kthorpe@peninsuladailynews.com.