Dig up some ideas for sandcastle park

More than 30 years ago, a fantastic sandcastle-themed playground structure was built in Lincoln City’s Regatta Park and quickly became the most popular park attraction in town.

But Lincoln City Parks & Recreation Department says that, while the wood structure has been very well cared for, this much-loved playground has now served its time and must be rebuilt.

An open house on Saturday, May 25, will give fans of the structure a chance to weigh in on its replacement.

“Everyone loves the Sandcastle Playground, especially its design,” Lincoln City Parks & Recreation Director Jeanne Sprague said. “It was built by our community volunteers in 1992, and generations of families have played there. As we move forward with the Sandcastle replacement project, we want the public to meet our playground design team. We want to hear what they love about the existing Sandcastle Playground and what types of play elements they would like to see in the new playground, and which overall theme they prefer.”

In 2016, Parks & Recreation built an ADA play area next to the Sandcastle utilizing a rubber play surface, including rubber mulch from recycled tires and synthetic turf. The new Sandcastle Playground is also planned to have an ADA rubberized and synthetic surface.

At the open house, the design-build team led by K&E Excavating, DOWL and Understory Landscape Architecture, along with Parks & Recreation staff and Advisory Board, will be gathering feedback from the public. There will also be an option for an online survey for those unable to attend the public event.

The open house will be held from 10 am to noon at the current Sandcastle Playground location in Regatta Park, 2700 NE 14th Street in Lincoln City. For more information, go to lincolncity.org/departments/parks-recreation.