$900K Puyallup playground with a barn theme and climbing boulders opens soon

The city of Puyallup broke ground on the construction of a 6,880-square-foot children’s playground in Van Lierop Park on Monday.

The playground is expected to be finished by the end of June, and the city plans to mark the opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in early July, according to Puyallup public affairs officer Eric Johnson. The project is an action item of the Van Lierop master plan, a guide for the long-term vision of the park as it is developed over the coming years, he added.

The city sought feedback on the playground project through public outreach surveys, social media posts and newsletter articles, Johnson said. He added that they heard concerns about whether the playground would affect the views of Mount Rainier or the park’s lupine fields, and they made an effort to put the playground somewhere that avoids that. The playground will be tucked in a corner between two parking lots at 3401 Eighth Ave. SE.

Puyallup Parks & Recreation Director Cody Geddes said the playground will feature areas for children of different ages, with one section for 3- to 5-year-olds and another for children ages 5 and older. Geddes added that the playground will be barn-themed — a nod to the agricultural history of the city — and will include swings, slides, climbing boulders and flower and mushroom musical features.

“We tried to create something that was different than any playground in Puyallup,” he said. “We didn’t have climbing features in any other park.”

Johnson said the project cost totaled around $900,000, including a $500,000 State Recreation and Conservation Office grant.

The project’s construction was delayed from its original start date in October because of the need to conduct a cultural resources study — which seeks to identify the historic and archaeological significance of an area before it may be affected by a development project — and have it reviewed by the state to maintain state requirements necessary for the use of the state grant. The study found no cultural resources in the area, which allowed the development to move forward.

The wet, rainy winter season also hindered planning for a new start date for construction, Geddes said.

Johnson said residents were excited to see the city’s social media posts about the project and he noticed some had questions about the planned use of wood chips in the play area. He said the city chose to use wood chips over rubber material to keep costs down.

“We’ve got lots of buzz, lots of excitement,” he said. “We’re excited shovels are going into the ground and that this is actually going to happen.”