Mill Creek MetroParks Board of Park Commissioners awarded bids on two projects totaling $179,647.20 as part of this year’s capital improvements plan: Construction of the Wet Playground at Wick Recreation Area and Tennis & Basketball Court Improvements at Volney Rogers Field. These two projects are part of the $3.2 million in improvements scheduled to be completed in 2017, which is the first year of a fifteen year, $29 million capital improvement plan that was presented to the Board in 2016. “It is an exciting time for Mill Creek MetroParks as we move forward with our commitment to the community of providing park, recreational and open space facilities of regional significance. Our future is inherently linked to our past and these two projects are an acknowledgement of that past, presented in an exciting new way,” says Mill Creek MetroParks Executive Director Aaron Young.
The first bid project awarded is the construction of a new wet playground at the Juliana Kurinka Children’s Play Area located at the James L. Wick, Jr. Recreation Area in Mill Creek Park. The wet playground project was awarded by the MetroParks Board of Park Commissioners on March 13, 2017 to Daniel A. Terreri & Sons, Inc. for the total amount of $80,079.50.
The wet playground is the fourth playground to be constructed as part of the Children’s Play Area and will be a zero-depth water play environment. The features will consist of various interactive water play elements which include bubblers, sprays, cannons and dumping buckets. This variety will offer diverse water play opportunities, maximizing play for all ages and abilities with a main area for older children and a distinct area for younger children, while still providing opportunities for inter-generational play. The wet playground will also provide children with interactive opportunities for development of individual motor skills and collaborative, social play with others as well as providing dynamic auditory and tactile sensory experiences. “The Wick Recreation Area was originally developed in the 1960’s and an “old-fashioned” spray basin was included as part of the playground. This original spray basin was a very popular feature and had continued use by the public until 2012 when the new Children’s Play Area was developed. It is exciting that interactive water play will be returned once again for families to enjoy throughout the summer months”, says MetroParks project manager Stephen Avery. The wet playground has an anticipated completion date of June 2017.
The second bid project awarded is the Tennis & Basketball Court Improvements at Volney Rogers Field. The Volney Rogers Field project was awarded by the MetroParks Board of Park Commissioners on March 13, 2017 to Penn-Ohio Sealing Company for the total amount of $99,567.70.
The project is located at Volney Rogers Field in Mill Creek Park and consists of improving the existing tennis and basketball courts. The improvement will consist of cleaning and crack-filling the existing courts, adding a new course of asphalt, and applying a new acrylic playing surface with court line markings. A new feature added to the tennis courts will be striping for two new pickleball courts. These courts will facilitate play for the increasingly popular sport of pickleball. Additionally, a new asphalt trail will be constructed to connect the basketball courts with an existing asphalt trail. In addition to the resurfacing project, the MetroParks will replace the wood facing of the existing tennis practice wall. These improvements will offer high quality tennis, pickleball and basketball experiences for all ages and abilities. Justin Rogers, MetroParks project manager states, “The tennis and basketball courts at Volney Rogers Field have been a popular recreational destination for years. Through this project, not only will the playing conditions of these courts improve, but a new recreational opportunity of pickleball will be added. This project demonstrates the MetroParks commitment to reinvesting in existing MetroParks’ infrastructure while expanding the level and opportunities for play to a wider, more diverse audience.” The Volney Rogers Field improvements have an anticipated completion date of June 2017.
