Community to celebrate replacement of playground destroyed at Alling Park by vandals this summer

Oct 6, 2009

On Saturday, October 10 at 10am, Metro Parks Commissioners and staff will join the South End Neighborhood Council in welcoming children to once again crawl, climb, wriggle and slide at Alling Park.

Alling received a major make-over this year made possible in large part by the 2005 Park Improvement bond. Prior to passage of the bond, the South End Neighborhood Council led a 5 year fundraising effort to replace the park's playground equipment.  The council completed their efforts in time to incorporate the new gear in the park's renovation and from the moment the contractors pulled down the construction fencing the park was filled with neighborhood children.

On July 24, after the kids had just 12 short weeks to enjoy their new play spot, vandals set it ablaze.  The fire burned so intensely that the entire structure was a total loss, down its metal support posts.  Immediately following completion of police and fire investigations, park crews removed the unsafe structure.

With only the park's swing set left for neighborhood children to play on, the South End Neighborhood Council and Metro Parks staff set to work to replace the playground. Parks staff met with the neighbors to select the replacement equipment and requested permission from the the Executive Director and Park Board to begin the purchasing process in tandem with processing insurance claims for the damages.

"It was a unanimous decision, without any hesitation from the board, that we needed to support staffing in moving forward to replace the equipment as quickly as possible", stated Park Board President Victoria Woodards.

The South End Neighborhood Council also immediately stepped into action establishing a fund to help offset the cost of Metro Parks insurance deductible for the claim.  "We're looking forward to presenting a check on Saturday for the donations we have received to date to help defray some of the expense the park district incurred as a result of this vandalism", said Earl Brydson, President of the South End Neighborhood Council.

The planning team who coordinated the timely purchase and installation of the $91,907 playground replacement, is currently at the mid-point of implementing $84.3 million of park updates taking place at more than 60 locations throughout the park district.

"It took some juggling, but it was important to address this quickly", stated Lois Stark, Chief Planner for Metro Parks. "Not only had this park just undergone a significant renovation, the neighbors had dedicated a huge amount of time and energy to make the children's play area a special place. It was important to our staff to honor their efforts by getting their playground back online as promptly as possible."

The Children's Museum of Tacoma is partnering with Metro Parks to join the community in celebrating this special day. The museum will provide each child who attends the morning celebration with a complimentary pass to visit the museum in the cold months ahead, and will host a drawing for a free PlayFULL Family Membership, providing three months of access to the museum.

"Vandals cheated the children in this community out of special outdoor play time this summer," said Tanya Andrews, Executive Director of the Children's Museum of Tacoma. "We're excited to partner with Metro Parks in this celebration and offer the children a day of play at the Children's Museum to enjoy as the weather starts to change."

# # #

Established in 1907 by Tacoma voters, Metro Parks Tacoma was the first independent park district created in Washington State.

Contact:     
Doug Fraser, design and construction manager, 253-305-1019, dfraser@tacomaparks.com
Nancy Johnson, communications manager, 253-226-4530; nancyj@tacomaparks.com