Phoenix will cut the ribbon Saturday on a new playground at Blue Heron Park
Patrick White, with Building Between The Lines Carpentry, broke ground on the newly constructed Blue Heron Park playground in Phoenix on Wednesday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune]
The benches and tables are ready to be placed in the new Agsa Blava park, which is officially opened on Saturday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune]
The Blue Herons Park playground, destroyed when the Almeda fire tore through Phoenix in 2020, will reopen Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m.
Federal disaster funds and local donations have created a park that is more fire-resistant and better suited to children with challenges.
“It’s been almost two years. We’re excited to get the playground back and get kids, parents and grandparents to use it at Blue Heron Park,” said City Manager Eric Swanson. “We’re grateful to everyone who contributed money and time and additional effort. Together we got to where we are.”
Swanson said an ad hoc committee at Blue Heron Park consulted on the playground and held a fundraiser to cover the additional element of the playground that Federal Emergency Management Agency money did not cover.
Medford architect John Duffie was chairman of the ad hoc committee. His work continued a long tradition of park assistance by the Bear Creek Valley Rotary Club, to which he belongs.
“We are following the same footprint as the existing patio. Our job was to fill in what FEMA didn’t pay for,” Duffie said. That work includes benches, picnic tables, drinks, shade structures, landscaping and pavers. Much of the existing shade was lost when the fire burned trees
A fundraising goal of $85,000 was set. To date, $45,549 in monetary donations have been given and in-kind assistance is over $11,000. The committee was not formed until late last year and missed the application cycle for many organizations that give grants for projects.
FEMA provided $374,600 for the reconstruction, while a Business Oregon grant of $124,866 served as a supplement. Last September, the City Council approved a contract with Playcraft Systems from Subvencions Pass to provide the equipment and installation.
Duffie said the committee plans to apply for a $10,000 grant from the United Rotary Clubs of Southern Oregon when the application period opens, and will apply to other foundations as well.
The City of Phoenix has purchased some items that the committee cannot cover at this time so they will be available to complete functions not covered by FEMA. While the playground is finished, other aspects of the area should be finished this fall, Swanson said.
A certified safety inspector with the city of Central Point, under contract with Phoenix, did a final inspection of the facility Wednesday, said Margaret Miller with Playcraft.
ADA accessibility has been added to the features, Miller said, including sensory items on a ramp that accesses the play structures.
“It used to be where you had access to the ramp, it was just one lane. It’s called a sensory ramp because there’s activity to play with,” Miller said. Activities include moving a steel ball through a maze and turning a handle that moves visible gears within an enclosure.
There are also ADA-compliant seats on the swings and a zip line feature that has solid rails instead of cables. Wheelchairs can be placed on a carousel.
Rubber tiles have been placed in the play area under an agreement with FEMA that allowed them in place of wood chips that were there before.
“The playground structures burned to the ground mainly because the foundation was made of wood chips,” Duffie said. The new rubber tiles are fire resistant. They can also be replaced when they wear out.
“It’s probably a better option when kids are kids and they fall on the surface. You see it in more and more parks because it’s a lot safer. There’s less scratching than bark,” Swanson said.
Home Depot’s paver installation impressed Duffie. After contacting Phoenix Home Depot management, the organization supplied all the pavers covering an area of 4,200 square feet. Managers from local store and Home Depots from Roseburg to Northern California then descended on the park on a Saturday to install the pavers.
Bear Creek Valley Rotary Club approached the city to see if it could help with the installation of playground equipment and other functions, but learned that the city had the contract with Playcraft.
Duffie offered his services to the committee and became chairman. The Rotary Club has helped the park throughout its existence. The late Bob Seibert, member and architect, designed structures that were erected in the park. Over the years, club members undertook a number of work projects, including assisting with a band shell, picnic facilities and installing turf and gravel.
Phoenix Public Works crews worked with the contractor and volunteers to install utilities and drainage in the area, Swanson said. The restrooms in the park were damaged but not destroyed by the fire. The Rotary Club repainted the bathrooms.
Top cash donations include First Presbytery Church, $15,000; United Way of Jackson County, $10,000; Umpqua Bank, $5,000; Jim and Pat Snyder, $5,000; Dutch Bros. Foundation, $5,000; Cow Creek Tribe, $2,500; and Bear Creek Valley Rotary, $2,000. Purchases of 30 private dedication pavers have been made at $100 each.
In-kind donations include pavers and other materials at $5,000, plus 250 hours of labor from Home Depot; Knife River rock and concrete at $3,598; Drop your landscaping brand at $2,000; $827 in shrubs from Shooting Star Nursery; 10 trees from Plant Oregon; and three benches and a table from Girl Scout Troop 10267.
Contact Ashland freelance writer Tony Boom at tboomwriter@gmail.com.
