Moody Park playground in Fairview Heights reopening Friday

The new playground at Moody Park will open to the public on Friday morning.

The original wooden playground was built in 1995 near the pond at the Fairview Heights park, but the park district decided to dismantle it in November 2013 because the timber had splintered and had caused injuries.

In its place, new concrete- and fiberglass-based equipment has been installed that should be more durable and require less maintenance.

The installation took about a year longer than the park district and city had anticipated. Fairview Heights Parks and Recreation District Director Angela Beaston said a handrail was finally installed earlier this week along the ramps and stairs at the playground.

“The handrail is a custom piece that could not be done until the concrete sidewalk and retaining walls were installed,” Beaston said. “Unfortunately that’s what took a while that’s what we were waiting for. It was a custom-made piece.”

The new equipment is nature themed. An 8-foot-tall concrete tree with a tree house is the focal point with slides and swings literally branching off the concrete tree. There is also a 5-by-5-foot concrete “anthill” for climbing and a 3-by-6-foot concrete “log” that children can crawl through. Green artificial turf covers the ground beneath the equipment.

Beaston said the project was completed within the city’s budget. Because some invoices had not been tabulated yet, she could not comment on the final cost.

The city had initially budgeted $377,000 from capital improvement funds for the new equipment. Beaston said that amount was later increased when the city elected to install artificial turf instead of mulch.

All that remains to be built is a 20-by-20-foot pavilion that will be adjacent to the new playground. A grand opening for the new playground is also being planned.

“It’s fantastic for the city to finally have the playground reopen,” Beaston said. “I have four-year old and we live behind the park, and he has reminded me every day how much he wants to be able to play there.”

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 12:06 PM with the headline "Moody Park playground in Fairview Heights reopening Friday."