New playground is coming to Cottonwood Park

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Javier Alvarez
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Demolition of the playground at Cottonwood Park, on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, began April 25, 2016.

According to current safety standards, the play area is unsafe for children, said Senior Master Sgt. Tracy Johnston, 773d Civil Engineer Squadron superintendent of heavy repair.

"It's old and just not repairable," he said. "We want to make sure our children are safe, and the best way to ensure this is to put a new playground in."

Airmen assigned to the 773d CES will take charge of the demolition, Johnston said. Airmen of the 673d Civil Engineer Squadron will oversee the build of the new play area by Weldin Construction.

The demolition is set for completion April 28.

A big portion of the park will be closed off during the teardown as dump trucks and other heavy equipment remove the old play structures, Johnston said. Road closures are not anticipated.

The 15,000-square-foot cordon will continue to serve as a buffer as crews begin to build the new play area starting May 1, said Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Faulkner, 673d CES project inspector.

The pea gravel on the ground of the playground will be replaced with a hard foam surface, he said.

Replacement play structures are military- and Alaska-inspired, and will provide learning opportunities for children.

"There are going to be nine different play structures, laid out in the shape of the Big Dipper," Faulkner said. "Each station is going to have a sign with information about that particular star in the constellation, as well as information on the Alaska state flag."

The play structures are divided to appeal to different age groups, he said. The target age groups are children 2 to 5 and 5 to 12. One section is reserved for children 6 to 23 months.

Two zip-lines and two sets of swings will be constructed, Faulkner said. The different play structures will be built in the shape of a tank, an F-22 Raptor, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and a king salmon.

The new Cottonwood playground is expected to open in late September.