If your child is a bit daunted by two new playgrounds in Lake Bluff, park district officials say that’s a good thing.
On Aug. 4, the Park District Board of Commissioners will review bids for new playgrounds at Blair and Artesian parks and approve a contractor, said Ed Heiser, superintendent of facility services. The new playgrounds will be taller than the existing structures, with an elevation of anywhere from eight to 12 feet.
“There has been a renaissance in playground design to make things look intimidating,” Heiser said. “It’s a way to develop aspects of a young brain and give them a sense of conquering something.”
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The parks will still include swings and a slide. At Blair Park there will be monkey bars, and a variation on monkey bars at Artesian will include a zip line style device.
The district also plans to improve on its access by creating a couple of four-foot mounds adjacent to and leading into the play area.
“An adult or child in a wheelchair could have direct access to the play equipment,” Heiser said.
The average life span of a playground is 15 to 20 years, Heiser said. The playground at Blair park is about 15 years old while Artesian is more than 20 years old.
The new playgrounds were designed by Hitchcock Design Group of Naperville, which will also oversee construction. The money will come out of a $3.1 million referendum approved by voters in November 2014.
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