Dozens of Crestwood residents attended the city’s Aug. 20 Park Board meeting to voice their opinions and vote on playground upgrades at Crestwood Park. The Crestwood Park playground revamp was made possible by the April passing of Proposition A, the $33 million ballot measure funding several parks and recreation projects throughout the city.
This was not the first time residents had the opportunity to share their thoughts on the playground redesign. To get as much feedback as possible, the city held an open house event in June and opened an online survey for 10 days.
At the recent park board meeting, 13 renderings from seven playground companies were displayed. Each company incorporated responses they received earlier in the summer, as well as a 2-to-5–year-old playground that will go near where the upper pavilion currently is, and a reimagined main playground specifically designed to be Americans With Disabilities Act accessible.
“We want people with all different abilities to be able to utilize and use this playground,” Director of Crestwood Parks and Recreation Eilien Ramirez said. “We asked (the playground companies) to include a ramp on the playground to at least reach the first level. The purpose of this is to remove architectural barriers, benefiting all residents. And we wanted this to be the city’s flagship playground. It’s the playground we see utilized the most; it has the most people there, so we wanted this to be like, ‘wow, this is our playground.’”
The companies were also asked not to remove any trees and to add “additional shade structures where possible.” French drains and water redistribution elements will also be included in the project as the park sits down a hillside and currently has a water runoff issue when it rains heavily.
Residents in attendance at the park board meeting voted on their favorite designs by placing stickers on them. Each resident was given two stickers to vote. Sixty-seven people voted, including three aldermen and seven park board members. About half of the residents who voted were from the Crestwood Park area, and the other half were from throughout the city.
The city also allowed residents who could not attend the park board meeting to vote on the playground designs at the Crestwood Community Center the next day. Thirty-five residents voted on Aug. 21.
“The city had so many people calling (the city) stating they wanted to vote but were unable to make the meeting,” Ramirez said. “We wanted to assure the residents’ voices were heard. I am pleased with the resident turnout and the overall engagement we’ve had with the community so far. I’m excited to see our residents coming together to make a decision on which playground best meets the needs of the community.”
This was not the first time residents had the opportunity to share their thoughts on the playground redesign. To get as much feedback as possible, the city held an open house event in June and opened an online survey for 10 days.
Following voting, the 13 proposed playgrounds were narrowed down to the top three and taken to Long Elementary School on Aug. 22 and 23 to give students the chance to voice their opinions on the redesign. Long was specifically chosen because students frequently use Crestwood Park, which borders the school.
“The children of Long Elementary School were very excited not only for a new playground but to be part of the process. Their excitement makes you know you are on the right path for this playground,” Ramirez said. “I think it went perfect, just watching the kids’ excitement. Even the teachers’ excitement, honestly.”
“Having them realize that their voice matters was huge,” Long Elementary Principal Christina Phillips said. “They could really think, ‘They care what I think.’ We talked to them a lot about advocating for yourself and how important that is.”