It’s been a landmark in Upper Gwynedd for more than three decades, a gathering space, packed on sunny days like we’ve seen this week.
But major changes could be coming soon, as township officials saw a preview this week of a possible new look for the Park-Sci playground.
“The objective and the main goal was to gather insights and the needs of the Upper Gwynedd community, and create a conceptual design for a new playground, or a revitalized playground,” said Margaux Petruska, senior community planner with the Montgomery County Planning Commission.
The playground was originally built at the Parkside Place off Sumneytown Pike in six days in 1995 by more than 3,400 volunteers, and the design of the playground was based on a similar facility in Quakertown designed by the same architect. Police counted thousands of daily visitors once the playground opened after a five-day building binge in June 1995, according to The Reporter archives.
Fundraisers held to support the playground project included a “Cow Chip Festival” that May, and the project was informally known as the Leathers Playground after New York-based architect Robert Leathers, until resident Danny King – seven years old at the time – came up with the name Park-Sci, to combine the park with the science-themed elements it displays. Materials used while building the playground included 3,500 linear feet of utility poles, 281 tons of stone, 27 tons of sand, 60 yards of concrete, 25,000 screws – and 1,400 fence pickets naming donors to the $180,000 park construction effort.
“It’s now over 30 years old, and a few years ago there was an assessment done, and there was a determination that there needed to be some work done, to bring it into code with ADA — and it’s a wooden playground that’s 30 years old and it’s held up, but there would be some changes needing to happen in the future,” Petruska said.
Over the past year, Petruska and MCPC design section manager Geoffrey Vaughn told the board during the March 9 commissioners meeting, county planners have worked with township staff to create a steering committee, post surveys, hold public meetings, and get input about what residents would like to see there.
“We wanted to ensure that there was some nature-based solutions, because the playground is very unique in that it’s completely covered in that tree canopy, and there’s a lot of mature trees that a lot of playgrounds don’t have,” Petruska said.
“We wanted to make sure we respected the history, and retained the magic, of the current playground,” she said.
Steering committee members included half a dozen residents, four of the five township commissioners, parks staff, and the three county officials. Vaughn detailed how that group used the input from the surveys and the existing landscape and layout of the current site to develop a new design.
The initial surveys, talks with residents at public meetings, steering committee input, site visits to seven similar playgrounds, and a structural engineering report all went into the final report, along with research from similar parks staff at other municipalities on how they developed similar designs, and found grant funding to cover costs.
“What we essentially came together to find is that it’s very important to preserve the history of the playground. Very clearly, it’s a destination playground. You see how many people are playing on the structure, it has a community-built history, and so many people that were involved in the first process are involved in this process now,” Petruska said.
“And accessibility is key: right now, the structure is not ADA compliant, and with the new playgrounds that are coming in, it’s really important, and we found that through surveying too: community members want accessibility and inclusivity for their play structures,” she said.
“What was most popular was the superstructure, the swings, the hanging equipment, and sand — which also can be a least favorite. Sand was a hot topic,” Petruska said.
Over 600 total survey responses were fielded, and those surveyed said that the wooded, natural feel of the playground was important to keep, that the wood chip ground surface could be replaced with a safety surface, that structures be made more accessible and easier to navigate, and that shade be added over swings, slides and sand pits. The planners also shared drawings of concepts developed by kids at township summer camps, which showed their ideal playground could include a looping slide, large swings, water features, a climbing wall or netting, and secret tunnels or places to hide while playing.
“We really heard what the community wanted: that nature-based theme. How do we incorporate that into the concept design?” Vaughn said.
MCPC’s suggestion? “We developed a different theme for the playground, which is not necessarily castle-based or science-based, but a magical forest, a play space within the setting that it’s at, a nature–based collection of spaces where kids, teens and community can explore their creative side, play and exercise together,” he said.
As he spoke, the county planner shows photos of similar such playgrounds across the country, with key design features including environmental sustainability by retaining as many trees as possible; retaining the original tower entry and exit, and integrating mounding and tunnels to define play areas, while adding parent seating and widening walkways for increased access.
The playground could also integrate water features, such as misters meant to cool off those running through. “Even though it is in shade and there are those trees, there are some open areas where it does get really hot. So we wanted a place to cool down — and then adding more swings and slides,” Vaughn said.
Feedback on that initial concept plan included a desire to keep the entry tower if possible, add activity panels with puzzles or sensory learning, concerns about water requiring change of clothes for kids who get wet, and questions on the structural status of the current castle.
“While the goal is to retain the main castle structure if possible, we didn’t feel like we could really recommend that without having some structural engineering report, to find out: is this even something we can recommend?” Petruska said.
A structural engineer found “no structural integrity concerns, at the time, they didn’t really observe any. They had some comments about where it could be filled, because there could be splinters, or a kid could get their finger stuck, but essentially that the framing and connections, and decking, all seemed to be in very good condition,” said Petruska.
MCPC’s final concept plan includes a play area for 2- to 5-year-olds with a small climbing structure, tunnels, mounds, accessible water and sand areas, a wide embankment slide, swings, and seating for parents, while a 6- to 12-year-old area could incorporate the current wooden castle structure, with some slats removed to increase visibility so parents can better see kids.
“We’re thinking of this as kind of a treehouse in the forest, so: opening up that bottom, keeping the main structural supports, and then underneath there could be some smaller pieces,” Vaughn said, along with new slides, swings, picnic tables, and hammocks surrounding that area.
A separate play area could include an obstacle course, climbing ropes around trees, nature-based sensory panels, and new benches; a storage shed could also be included there, along with the misting area and added seating and benches.
Cost estimates are only preliminary, but early estimates put the low-end estimate at $1.3 million and high-end estimate of $2.3 million, subject to changes in materials costs, fees, permits, and contingencies
“There’s a lot of unknowns, as you move through the design and development phase for a project like this,” Vaughn said.
How to fund the project? Next steps could include a mix of seeking grants and holding fundraisers, Vaughn and Petruska told the board, similar to the community effort that built the current playground three decades ago.
“While there will be a cost to this playground, we’re pretty confident that there are a lot of options, and a really great and passionate community,” Petruska said: “Sponsorships, memorial fences, movie nights, festivals, runs, all the names in the fence pickets, things like that which I’m sure will be a continued conversation.”
During a visit to the site Tuesday, parents sat on the picnic tables and benches throughout the playground area, as kids of all aces ran, skipped and jumped up, around and through the castle and dedicated play areas, and parents queried by The Reporter said they had not heard of any new plans or designs for the site but were interested in learning more.
Near the entrance to the play area, a wooden tower stands with plaques listing the names of volunteers and donors to the original 1990s effort, under the header “Together We Made It Happen.” On the opposite site facing a parking lot, another plaque lists the board of commissioners at the time, including longtime members Eugene Ziemba who passed away in 2016, Jean DeBarth who passed away in 2020, and Jim Santi who passed away in 2022, under the phrase, “Built with love and dedication by thousands of generous individuals.”
Upper Gwynedd’s commissioners next meet at 7 p.m. on April 7 at the township administration building, 1 Parkside Place. For more information visit www.UpperGwynedd.org.
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