Kids have say in playground renovation

The youngsters playing on the slide at Seattle's Ravenna Park don't seem bothered by splintering wood on the platform and steps, the rotting support posts or the protruding bolts.

Kids have a way of making fun happen, no matter the surroundings. But quiz them about the new-age playground equipment they could get to replace the outdated stuff they use now, and they suddenly become more choosy.

"We like the bridge a lot and the twisty slide is really awesome." "I like the cattail sticks because they are unique." "Ropes look fun." "Rings, monkey bars, merry-go-round, little wading pool and slide."

Users' opinions are being taken into account as their parents, as part of a neighborhood effort begun two years ago, design a $350,000 remake of the Ravenna playground. Buoyed by a $100,000 city matching grant recommended by Mayor Greg Nickels, the ambitious overhaul could be completed by the end of next summer, helping to usher in a new era for one of Seattle's most treasured parks.

"The playground falls far short of what the rest of this park has to offer," said Lauren McGuire, fund-raising chairwoman for Friends of Ravenna Playground.

The potentially hazardous double slide, which is within a sand pit, would be replaced with modern, safer playground equipment and installed within a new pit at least triple the current size.

More information

Friends of Ravenna Playground: www.ravennaplayground .org; Chairwoman Ella Thompson, 206-527-4960

Donations: Friends of Ravenna Playground, 4616 25th Ave. N.E., PMB 179, Seattle, WA 98105

"The slide we have now has little play value," said McGuire, mother of a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old. "What my kids like about it is I bring toys for them to play with in the sand."

New play areas will be created, including one designed specifically for children younger than 5. A short retaining wall — which amounts to a high stairstep for adults but an intimidating drop for kids — will be remade as a faux concrete network of caves and tunnels.

The park's two swings, currently situated within a meadow popular with ultimate Frisbee and soccer players, will be uprooted and replaced with six new swing sets tucked into a more out-of-the-way corner of the lawn.

The play area's most popular features — an ankle-deep wading pool and a sky-high climbing cedar tree — will remain. A fence will be built along the edge of the cedar tree, to keep kids from an adjacent maintenance road.

McGuire said Friends of Ravenna Playground needs to raise an additional $150,000 to meet its goal. Support thus far has come from the city, King County, individuals, nonprofits such as University YMCA, and businesses such as Whole Foods, Starbucks and Safeco.

The city's $100,000 matching grant, which is subject to City Council approval, is the maximum the Department of Neighborhoods awards. The Ravenna playground would be one of seven projects this year to get that amount. The play area is in the southeast section of Ravenna Park, just west of where construction is under way to return Ravenna Creek to a more natural state. It is a block from the Burke-Gilman Trail.

Jan Whittington, who heads design and construction planning for Friends of Ravenna Playground and is the mother of a 3-year-old, said about 9,000 people live within a short walking distance. The playground is also near Bryant Elementary School and pre-schools, which bring their students there. Yet parents say the playground is underused because of the poor quality of the equipment.

"I would like to be able to bring my kids to a playground where they can have a more social experience," McGuire said. "I want to be able to talk to other moms, as opposed to sitting back and reading a book while my kids play."

Whittington said about 400 people in the neighborhood have provided comments on the playground design. Some of the most opinionated, though, have come from the kids, who were asked by the Friends of Ravenna Playground steering committee a week ago to help choose specific playground equipment.

Some perused the catalogs from three manufacturers and submitted page and product numbers. Others wrote down their preferences more generally, such as a 7-year-old who asked for ropes and bridges.

"You get to climb around and it kind of exercises you," she explained.

Stuart Eskenazi: 206-464-2293 or seskenazi@seattletimes.com