Kids, get ready! Later this summer, you’ll have a whole new playground to enjoy at downtown Beaufort’s Waterfront Park.
The current Beaufort waterfront playground was installed in 2006, when Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park was renovated. “Playground equipment, like everything else, has a shelf life,” said Downtown Operations Director Linda Roper. “This equipment needs to be repaired more often, and parts are getting harder to find.”
The new playground will have a Beaufort theme, with a climbing structure styled like a shrimp boat with rope nets for climbing; an Arsenal-styled structure that connects to a 5-foot green mound; a spinner, and lots of slides and swings.
“We’re thrilled with the design of our playground,” said Linda Roper, director of Downtown Operations & Community Services for the city of Beaufort.
“We think parents and kids will love it.”
Great Southern Recreation is installing the playground at a cost of $274,654; it was funded by a grant and City resources.
The new playground will feature safety surfaces, including artificial turf on the mound, rubber mats, and engineered wood mulch made for playgrounds.
In January, the City of Beaufort gathered input about the type of playground equipment residents would like to see at the downtown waterfront park. More than 400 people responded. “Swings, slides, the ability to climb, and spinners were requested most frequently. Parents also wanted to make sure the equipment was inclusionary for children with disabilities,” Roper said. “We made sure our new playground has all those features.”
Installation of the playground is expected to begin in July and be completed in August.
There is no opening date set for the new playground.
