New Playground Set To Open In Vancouver
Vancouver, Wash. — Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle will be inaugurating the City’s newest playground at Esther Short Park on Saturday, April 29, at 11 a.m. during a community celebration. The original playground was built in 1998, and plans were already in motion to replace the outdated equipment when it was destroyed in a fire in January 2022. The City and its contractors fast-tracked the project to ensure that the playground would be ready to welcome the community for the bustling spring and summer seasons.
The new playground is fully inclusive and was designed with the help of Harper’s Playground, a non-profit that creates welcoming playgrounds for individuals of all abilities. AKS Engineering and Forestry and Pence Construction worked with the City of Vancouver to complete the playground.
As part of the celebration, attendees can receive a free raffle ticket for a chance to win local products from the Vancouver Farmers Market.
Here are some highlights of the new playground design:
- Double Slide and Play Hill
- Boulder Scramble
- Climbing Dome
- Zero Entry Merry Go All
- Swings
- Roxall See Saw
- Music Garden
- Increased Seating
- Additional trees and landscaping
- Decorative elements that reference the park’s original Victorian design
Esther Short Park is a 5-acre park in the heart of downtown and the oldest public square in the state of Washington. The vibrant park is consistently ranked as the top place to visit in Vancouver by Trip Advisor for its charming surroundings, historical Victorian architecture, seasonal water feature, special events, and proximity to the Vancouver Farmers Market. Since the City acquired the park in 1853, it has invested in transformative features that have acted as a catalyst for economic growth in downtown Vancouver. For more information on the park, visit their website.
