Liberty Park's century-old playground gets a revamp — and a new squirrelly mascot

SALT LAKE CITY — Children yelled that they were "excited" and "happy" that the Rotary Play Park at Salt Lake City's Liberty Park was finally reopening when asked by city leaders.

Moments later, they showed just how excited they were. The group of a few dozen mostly school-age children stormed its brand-new facilities before the ribbon Mayor Erin Mendenhall cut could touch the ground.

It's difficult to tell which feature they enjoyed the most because every feature seemed to draw excitement, from its new swings to a swing log feature to corn hole and slides.

Getting to this point was a long-time coming, not just from a construction standpoint families endured, but from a logistical one, said Jon Reudas, director of Salt Lake City Public Lands' planning and design division.

The $5 million playground has undergone several changes over the past century, largely keeping up with the trends of every generation. The first playground opened in 1912, and eventually included swings in the 1970s, a zipline and ball pit added in the '80s, and a splash pad added in the early 2000s.

Salt Lake City began planning for the playground's next chapter in 2023, a year after residents approved a $85 million general obligation bond for park improvements across the city.

The city pinpointed the playground as one of the bond's major projects, directing approximately $3 million of the bond toward the new playground. Another $2 million in impact fees — fees the city collects from new developments that go into infrastructure and park projects — covered the rest of the bill.

A public survey received 1,700 responses, with residents calling for more imaginative play, natural spaces and room to explore.

"There was a nature theme that came up, so that's why you see a lot of wood materials — more natural materials in this playground," Reudas told KSL, as families bounced around from feature to feature behind him.

His team broke the park down into different zones, each of which offers various activities. Some of those include:

• A climbing tower
• Swingset
• Slides
• Group pendulum swing
• Wheelchair-accessible spin carousel
• Splash zone
• Sand tables
• Meadow maze

At the same time, planners worked with various organizations to increase all-ability features, including more options for children with hearing, vision and sensory impairments.

The project was expected to be completed a few months ago, but it was delayed because of shipping issues with equipment imported from Europe.

Reudas is optimistic that the new playground will be a cherished park feature for the current and future generation of Salt Lake City children. It certainly left the first group of children to test it entertained.

"The equipment changes, but the really fun memories we make here just keep building," Mendenhall added.

An 'Easter egg hunt' in the works

The whole project is capped by a somewhat hidden mascot.

Woody, a squirrel a little more than a foot tall tucked next to a tree toward the northeast end of the playground, serves as a harbinger of a small side project tied to the bond that helped fund the playground.

Approximately 1.5% of the bond was to be used on public art, and a portion of it went toward adding 20 smaller sculptures to the parks that received bond funds. Four local artists were selected by the Salt Lake City Arts Council for an added whimsical element to the revamped parks, said Amy Childress, public art program coordinator for the city's arts council.

Lenka Konopasek designed Woody, which will have three of its siblings scattered across other city parks at some point in the coming years.

Jann Haworth, Trent Call and Jason Manle were also selected to design sculptures that will be added to various other regional and pocket parks, as part of the forthcoming scavenger hunt.

Some of their works are in the process of being installed at parks that have since reopened, with more sculptures being added as bond-funded renovations are completed.

"(It's) kind of like an Easter egg hunt of sculpture that kids and people can discover," Childress said.

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