Lawton begins planning to replace Greer Park’s Kid’s Zone

City of Lawton officials have begun planning a $1.18 million project to replace Kid’s Zone.

The wooden play structure in Greer Park on Northwest 38th Street will be 24 years old Oct. 8, and City Council members, parks administrators and others have been discussing whether it is time to replace the complex because of deteriorating wood components.

Kid’s Zone was built the week of Oct. 2-8, 2000, as a community effort coordinated by Lawton businessman Mark Glenn. Glenn brought the idea to the city, sparking a project that drew participation from every component of the community, from community leaders and major employers, to everyday citizens and Fort Sill soldiers, to civic organizations and children. It remained strictly a community project, from the fundraising activities that paid for equipment, to the actual erection of structures within the 16,000-square-foot park. The completed park was dedicated to the City of Lawton, which has maintained it since then.

Age has caught up with the structure, said Parks and Recreation Director Larry Parks.

City parks officials have been discussing a plan to replace the complex for more than a year, and with the passage of the Capital Improvements Program Extension, funding is available. The CIP includes a permanent quarter-cent sales tax dedicated to parks and recreational activities, funding that Mayor Stan Booker said will allow city staff to make long-range plans because they now have a way to provide city matching funds to any grant they obtain.

That includes a new Kid’s Zone. The City of Lawton has received a $928,544 SPARK Grant from Play & Park Structures (a donation expected to be acted upon by the City Council on Tuesday) and $240,246.50 of that amount will be dedicated to the $1,182,085 Kid’s Zone replacement.

Parks said that project will replace wooden structures with a variety of implements and play areas, from slides to a zip line, all made from materials suited to withstanding the weather. The equipment will be similar to playgrounds already being installed in city parks, but the one slated for Greer Park will be “extra large,” big enough to support 200-250 children. It also will be inclusive, meaning its components can be used children with limited mobility issues, the same type of play area opened at Elmer Thomas Parks’ Playground in the Park earlier this year.

Parks said the playground also will feature a “pour in place” flooring, mulch that is better suited to youthful play.

He said while wooden structures will be removed, amenities built around the complex will remain. That includes the paved entrance and its walls, covered with tiles that contain the handprints of children who were involved with the park when it opened in 2000.

In addition, city officials are discussing plans to black-top what is now a graveled parking lot that serves Kid’s Zone and Greer Park in general. Upgraded lighting also is planned, as is installation of security cameras for a park that also contains well-used tennis courts, a walking trail, pavilions and a restroom.

Parks said a construction timeline for the project has not been established because city officials still are in the discussion phase and the City Council has not yet signed off on the project. Council members indicated last winter they support replacing the playground because age and weather has caused damage that would be too costly to repair.