Factors for Designing Community Playgrounds at Parks

A park is often built for public use by a local community to enhance the community. For this specific reason, park playground equipment is expected to withstand intense use over the span of several years without replacement.

Outdoor park equipment includes playground equipment and site amenities, such as picnic tables, park grills, and bicycle racks. Combining amenities with playground equipment offers adults and children alike a place for enjoyment.

Below is a list of steps to take when planning a community playground at a park.

Playgrounds range in price depending on the size and amenities of the structure.  It is important to establish your needs when figuring out your budget. Some details to take into account are the size of the area, the type of surfacing you’ll be using, the cost of shipping, and installation.

It’s important to have a clear layout of the outdoor playground equipment you want included. Determine your target age group, and choose your equipment accordingly.  You might even want to ask children what type of park play equipment they think would be fun. After all, they are the ones playing on it. For assistance in planning your park, contact a live support specialist at PlaygroundEquipment.com.

Hosting a fundraiser is a great way to raise money, while getting the community excited for their brand-new park playground.  Reach out to local businesses to see if they would partner in the playground build or make a donation.  Another way to raise money for the playground is to seek out grants from nonprofit organizations or contractors and equipment companies.

Site preparation shouldn’t be overlooked. While you’re waiting for your structure to be shipped, make sure the site is ready.  You may have to excavate down, or possibly build up onto an existing surface.  This step is crucial to having a safe and stable playground.

There are a couple of different options to choose from when determining how the playground is going to be built.  One great option is to get the community involved.  Getting people in the community to volunteer to help build the playground is a great way to bring the community together, and will help you save plenty of money on installation costs.  If you choose to go this route, we still recommend having an expert on site during the build to make sure your playground is built safely and correctly.

Park playground equipment is built to meet or exceed commercial standards. Parks can choose from hundreds of items specifically designed for outdoor use in public areas. These park equipment items include swings, slides, climbers, structures, and more. Don’t forget when planning your playground park equipment to save some room in the budget for safety surfacing.

A park must choose products based on need, reliability, durability, and price. Most often, this comes down to a recommendation. PlaygroundEquipment.com recommends any park play structures on our site. However, some equipment is recommended over others.  For instance, metal spring riders are less easily vandalized than plastic counterparts. One way to make sure your outdoor playground equipment lasts as long as possible is to develop a simple maintenance schedule. This entails checking surface levels, loose hardware, and even checking for vandalism.  PlaygroundEquipment.com has an easy to use Playground Maintenance Checklist