Hooray! The Playground Restoration project in the lower part of the park facing the Applegate River is almost complete. Phase one included upgrading the playground area and adding “Tuffy” the Turtle, which was designed and created by artist Jeremy Criswell. Phase two, completely restoring the playground restroom, was finished by Jackson County Parks in February 2018. We now have new access sidewalks, a new gable end roof, new tile, and a facility that is bright, clean, and sanitary to serve our park users. ADA improvements include accessible sidewalks, a new ADA path from the restroom to the playground, and two ADA parking spaces.
The final exciting phase will be landscaping around the restroom this spring that will feature native plants and welcoming benches and sitting areas. The Community Mosaic Mural, which was planned and started in 2015 with over 200 community members creating tiles for it, will resume this summer. The last of the tiles will be made and set in concrete panels that will be installed on the river-facing wall of the restroom.
Jeremy Criswell will be looking for ways to pull community members back in for the last parts of this mural project, so keep an eye out for chances to get involved with your park.
